A black bathroom wasn’t on our bingo card for The Block 2024, but “black, black, black, black, black” is exactly what Kylie and Brad delivered in week one. The five teams were tasked with creating a main bathroom for the first room reveal in the holiday homes they’re creating on Phillip Island in Victoria.
Other teams went for styles you’d more typically expect for an island setting, such as Coastal Grandma by Jesse and Paige, and Modern Mediterranean by Courtney and Grant. But Kylie stuck to her guns and went for a look she’d love in her own dream bathroom, hoping the judges would be on board. “If they completely tear it apart, I might need to rethink what I’m doing,” she said.
Sadly, it didn’t go down too well and The Block judges Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Marty Fox didn’t hold back with their criticisms. “This is possibly the biggest disaster we’ve seen in 20 seasons,” said Marty. The good news was that it didn’t come last. That spot went to Jesse and Paige, who didn’t finish their bathroom. Here’s all of the judges’ cold, hard feedback and how the other bathrooms went.
Is black a good colour for a bathroom?
The problems that come with creating a black bathroom began for The Block’s Kylie and Brad team from day one. Here are three reasons a black bathroom was a bad idea…
- Sourcing challenges: Finding black bathroom elements proved difficult for Kylie, who had to turn to more obscure online suppliers. In the end, she secured a black toilet, vanity, floor tiles and even black toilet paper. Plans for a black bath were abandoned when the one Kylie found was too big for the space. This didn’t go down well with The Block judges. “We have the glaring omission of a bath,” said Darren. “These homes, if they’re going to be used by a lot of families, especially when there’s sand outside, you do need a bath tub.”
- Getting the balance right: A dark palette requires lighter details to soften it. The white herringbone tiles, timber batons and industrial hanging lights were a bit dated for Darren. “It gives off a mid-2010s nightclub vibe,” he said. The neon artwork and vase were also a miss. “It takes it very theatrical,” said Shaynna.
- Turning off buyers: Black might be suited to Kylie and Brad’s tastes (or the Addams Family’s), but it’s not for everyone. “If I brought 10 buyers in here, only one or two would want to buy it,” said real-estate agent Marty. “You need to appeal to the masses. This is heavy, this is dark.” The goal of The Block is to sell the home at the end, so this team might need to rethink their strategy.
The Block 2024 bathrooms
Here’s how all of the teams stacked up after the main bathroom reveals in week one.
1st place: Kristian and Mimi
These newlyweds pulled off the win, walking away with $140,000 in prizes for their bathroom with a beachy feeling. “The holiday home we’re trying to create is a contemporary, coastal kinda vibe,” said Mimi. “It’s welcoming and fresh and soothing.” The responses were overwhelmingly positive from the judges. “This room’s a huge success,” said Darren, who loved the blues. His only qualm was that there might have been a better layout, “judging by how much open space there is that doesn’t have a purpose”. It impressed from a real-estate perspective, too. “This truly is a proper family bathroom,” said Marty.
Score: 28.5/30
2nd place: Courtney and Grant
This married couple from NSW had a strong vision for a Modern Mediterranean (Moditerranean) bathroom. “We’re thinking sandstone, travertine, American oak, brushed gold, pops of marble,” Courtney explained. “Now we’re talking,” said Darren when he saw their bathroom. “These tiles are stunning. The handles look like shells off the beach,” said Marty. “Someone’s got the eye here. The mood lighting, the tile choices, the skylight.” Meanwhile, Shaynna wasn’t so blown away. She agreed the subtle lighting was “fantastic” and that it was a smart decision to not tile all the way to the ceiling to save time, but she wanted a little more drama in this holiday home. “You can take it further.”
Score: 28/30
3rd place: Ricky and Haydn
Plumber Ricky would make sure his team had all the pipes in the right places, but with Haydn in IT, these best mates weren’t design experts. “Number one is, it’s got to have a bath,” said Haydn, stating the obvious. With Haydn’s pregnant wife going into labour mid-week, he jetted off the island to meet his newborn baby and Ricky was left to finish the room alone. “Commendable execution to be one man down,” said Marty. “Good floorplan, vanity’s in the right spot.” Shaynna agreed that the layout was good and she liked the bath, but thought the colour choices didn’t quite work together. Darren’s advice was to start with a flatlay or moodboard for each room to make sure all the materials work together.
Score: 24/30
4th place: Kylie and Brad
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the black bathroom. “I wanted drama and I got drama,” said Shaynna. “I’m loving the subtlety of the Dekton [tiles] on the walls in the shower and also on the floor.” As for Darren, he loved the idea of a dark palette for a holiday home. “If they’re intending to do a black shack, awesome, I think that’s a really appropriate beachside holiday accommodation look.” He would know, having his own holiday accommodation, Akora Cabin. He’s also just finished the renovation of his Bondi home, which he shared with Home Beautiful. All the judges agreed that the tiles were a great choice, as were the skylights. The neon art and vase were a miss, but a few tweaks to the execution and this team could be on the right track with their black aesthetic. “Take those two elements out and put softness in there, and I think it’s beautiful,” said Shaynna.
Score: 22/30
5th place: Jesse and Paige
This engaged couple from WA started strong, with Paige having a good idea of what she wanted aesthetically. “I love my blues, I love my greens. I think that leans more towards that timeless approach rather than being trendy,” she said. Combine that with Jesse being a carpenter, and you would have thought these two would be a winning combination. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. “It’s not finished, the poor things,” Shaynna pointed out when the judges walked in, wondering if the vast amount of tiling was too ambitious. “There’s a lot of labour and money in putting up these sheets of tiles,” she said. “You don’t have to tile every bathroom, every wall.” Marty was more harsh about them failing to finish, while Darren found the room “a little hectic”. Positives were the brushed chrome details, storage and under-floor heating.
Score: 18.5/30
This article originally appeared on Home Beautiful and is republished here with permission.
