The mistake that ruined Emma and Ben’s near-perfect kitchen

Once again, Emma and Ben impressed with their signature warm colour choices and the scale of their space. All three judges noted the harmony of their palette and materials, and how appropriate these were for the Daylesford setting. The couple from Melbourne kept their styling simple, creating a scale and spaciousness that was noticeable and in harmony with the adjoining living/dining area. Marty Fox thought that their hard work “rectified the spaces.”

An overall success, one detracting factor for the judges was the position of Emma and Ben’s fridges, which when open, block entry to the main bedroom. Once again, in this season of The Block, spatial planning takes centre stage, with Darren stating that without this mistake, Emma and Ben would’ve created “the perfect kitchen.” A warning example for those of us at home dreaming of our own kitchen renovation, and for Emma and Ben going forward into week eight.

This week Emma and Ben weren’t playing it safe, and their layered, colourful approach paid dividends. While being “savvy” with their budget, the soon-to-be parents selected a large, colourful artwork by a local artist as their hero. The abstract work, featuring pink, green and red tones informed all their other choices – including a rust brown retro-style couch, deep green occasional chairs and walls in textured pink and an olive green.

The judges noted the room wasn’t very kid-friendly, but overall, they were impressed by the couple’s attention to detail and their use of colour, delivering a room that is enveloping and delivers on the high-end Daylesford brief. “Emma and Ben are back!” concluded Darren.

This week Emma and Ben struggled to create wow-factor in their living and dining room. Their usual attention to detail was missing and the judges weren’t impressed with their styling, or the placement of their furniture. Instead of looking out to the view, they closed off the space to make the TV the focal point. Their colour choices remained a strength with the exception of the orange-toned bench seat, which looked out of place with their cool toned herringbone flooring.

Fresh off the heels of last week’s ensuite success, Ben and Emma decided to dip back into burgundy for their main bedroom and walk in wardrobe reveal. But rather than opt for another colour-drenched dose, they instead chose to incorporate a burst of the bold hue as part of a soothing, more restrained palette. What resulted was a berries and cream dream punctuated by swathes of calming eucalyptus and soft oak, that came together to produce, what the judges called, a “close to perfect” room.

Although the judges were tickled pink by the room’s hotel-like look and feel, they were equally as impressed by the sheer scale of the space, further emphasised by the sprawling island that spanned the entire length of the oak-lined wardrobe.

With some of the biggest bedrooms we’ve seen on The Block so far, this year’s contestants had their work cut out for them when it came to furnishing with form (and function) in mind. Emma and Ben opted for an integrated sitting area centred around the Stoke holographic fireplace and the Rosso Levante-topped wall unit. The Block Shop Fossil Face artworks are a nod to the room’s nature-inspired palette, while tactile pieces like the Few & Far occasional chair and button-shaped ottomans add an inviting touch.

Dubbed “mid-century western” by the judges, Emma and Ben’s earthy colour choices prove you can definitely use non-traditional colours in a bathroom. Their sophisticated warm-toned palette features three complementary tile choices, a timber vanity and copper tapware. Curved lines repeat throughout the space, softening its hard edges, while giving the space a fresh, modern feel.

Emma and Ben’s exceptional time-management skills came to their rescue this week. With the most renovation experience among the five teams, Emma and Ben progressed through the ensuite challenge without breaking a sweat. Smart choices, like wallpapering instead of painting, left the couple with time to finesse the details (which most notably included a hand-finished planter to match the wall tiles). A perfectly finished, curved feature wall in the shower recess showed off their superior planning and execution skills.

Emma and Ben’s first kid’s bedroom features a moody palette of navy blue, accented with mid-tone brown shades in the bedhead and chequerboard rug. A spacious design, the judges appreciated the couple’s use of texture, the unique circular niche, excellent execution and well-considered finishes. “That bed is absolutely beautiful,” says Darren Palmer. “You wouldn’t usually see this much detail in a kid’s room.”

Emma and Ben’s second kid’s bedroom is a sweet pink-hued affair, featuring fairy decals, soft pinks and burgundy accents. The downfall of this room was not in its design, but in its execution. The panels of slatted walnut (installed to disguise a short fall with the statement wallpaper) expose the less-than-perfect functionality of the space. The wood panels detracted from the beautiful wall sconces and made it hard to open the wardrobe doors. This features reminds all home renovators of the importance of measuring everything twice.

While it’s easy to get swept up in how a room looks, Emma and Ben’s choices show that functionality is just as important as aesthetics. They cut corners with basics, like allowing enough swing room for the wardrobe doors and creating sufficient storage for two occupants. Our advice would be to sacrifice the built in desk area to maximise storage space and, if possible, the use of more space efficient bedding solutions, like bunk beds, for a small spaces.

Emma and Ben’s bathroom is a colourful take on contemporary Australian design with mid-century influences. Blending clean lines, brass hardware and natural materials with the muted green of the basins and shower tiles makes for a cohesive space with functionality at its core. This room uses hardware and shapely forms to hit the brief of mid-century minimalist, while the nature-inspired palette helps it to remain timeless.

While their styling was simple, the success of Emma and Ben’s bathroom came down to their big-ticket items like the dramatic skylight above the shower recess, flooding the room with ample natural light. Alongside the minimal shower screen, a luxurious bath sits parallel to the length of the room. Continuous large-format tiles create a sense of heightened spaciousness and continuity.