It’s the last week of room reveals for The Block 2024 contestants and boy, did they deliver the design goods. Tasked with completing a laundry and guest bedroom, the five teams dug deep to create interior inspiration gold.
From banana yellow to a chic French tile pattern, we’re giving our editor’s nod of approval to quite a few of the details. One of them even finds itself in our round-up of 2025 interior design trends.
Next week, it’s onto the most exciting stage of the series: landscaping reveals. Until then, enjoy these five covetable details from the week 10 reveals.
1. Pops of banana yellow
Mimi and Kristian embraced the current butter yellow trend in their guest bedroom. Judge Shaynna Blaze described their bedding as “banana yellow”, but it’s certainly in the same realm as the soft yellow shade that’s been everywhere lately. “The banana palette is quite cute,” Shaynna said. “The banana and sage green, it’s quite beautiful with the rattan. You can’t fault the look and feel of this room.”
2. French tile pattern on floor
It’s not often you see a French tile pattern, which is done by laying different-sized tiles geometrically, but it never fails to look sophisticated. It was no exception in Maddy and Charlotte’s laundry, where the sisters’ choice of antique-look tiles was flawless. “This is a beautiful tile – the French pattern,” said Marty Fox.
3. Scotia decorative wall moulding
Little details make a room feel more chic, such as the scotia in Courtney and Grant’s guest bedroom. The strip of wall moulding, which is usually placed in the gap between skirting boards and the floor, was noticed by the judges. “That’s a little timber scotia, and it elevates the whole thing,” said Darren Palmer. It’s a simplified version of wainscoting which fits perfectly with their Modern Mediterranean aesthetic.
4. Coloured pedestal basin
There’s limited space in Ricky and Haydn’s laundry, so the Nood Co pedestal basin was a smart and stylish inclusion. “This is a buyer’s dream,” said Shaynna of the laundry’s layout and design. The salmon pink picks up the shade of the feature wall and the shape complements the fun, laidback feeling the boys have established in their barefoot beach house. The pink concrete pedestal basin is a much more current take on the traditional white ceramic sink.
5. Black chequered pillowcases
Black-and-white checks are going to be big in 2025, so Kylie and Brad are ahead of the game with the chequered pillows in their guest bedroom. Paired with dusty blues and greys, they’re on the money with this bedding combination.
All of The Block 2024 laundries and guest bedrooms
Here’s how the teams went in the week 10 reveals.
1st place: Courtney and Grant
Taking the previous week’s judging advice, Courtney and Grant moved their cabinetry into the mezzanine rumpus room to fit a king-size bed in the guest bedroom. This turned their upstairs area into a second main retreat. “They’ve listened. How good is this?” said Marty. “So you’ve now got a day spa and a beautiful lounge, away from the other accommodation. This is the main wing that I would personally like to sleep in within this house.”
They hit the mark with the olive green feature wall, terracotta accents and abstract artworks. “That piece of art is very abstract, but the colours go without feeling matchy matchy,” said Shaynna. She praised the attention to detail and unique style. “No one does Moditerranean. Courtney and Grant have created their own look that is so high-level and sets them apart. It will set trends around the country, just like [2023 winners] Steph and Gian’s Japandi style.”
Their laundry didn’t include a toilet like in some of the other houses. Another downside that Darren pointed out was that the sloped ceiling might be a head-bumping hazard. Yet Marty felt these wouldn’t deter a buyer and that the laundry was beautifully executed. “Everything is so consistent, it’s beautiful. It’s finished to a high standard,” agreed Shaynna.
Score: 29.5/30 (After playing their ‘penguin’, worth one point)
2nd place: Ricky and Haydn
Putting in bunk beds meant Ricky and Haydn’s house would now sleep 12 people, which is the most on The Block this year. They went with a similar sophisticated tropical-feeling wallpaper used in their previous guest bedroom, complemented with sheer curtains. The room scored a 10 from Shaynna.
There was just one criticism. “It definitely needs a ceiling fan. In the summer months it will be absolutely boiling,” said Marty. However, that didn’t detract from marketability for him. “It’s got such broad appeal. When this goes online it will be that one property that feels relaxing, that’s knockabout,” he said.
The laundry impressed just as much as their bedroom. “It’s a functional space, but it’s still very beautiful,” said Darren. The white cabinetry was the same as those in the kitchen.
Of all the teams, the boys’ laundry had the most generous bathroom space and also included a mudroom for shoes and coats. “It’s ticking every single box,” said Marty.
Score: 29/30
3rd place: Kylie and Brad
First impressions weren’t great in Kylie and Brad’s guest bedroom, with the judges noticing an echo. “Acoustically, it’s not working,” said Darren. “It’s cavernous and it sounds so.” The layout left a lot to be desired as it lacked storage and felt cramped, but some of the style elements were strong. “I love the wallpaper, I love the lights, I love the bed linen,” said Shaynna.
The logistical issues continued in the laundry, with a washer and dryer placed behind doors. “I would take these off,” said Shaynna, demonstrating the difficulties they would cause when moving clothes from one to another. “That is terrible.” She wished Kylie and Brad had spent less time sourcing black and white pegs and more finessing the design. “Sorry, you wasted your time,” she said.
Marty agreed, not understanding why Kylie and Brad have kept flogging a dead horse, so to speak. “They’ve never won a room on a black-and-white theme, yet they keep coming back to black-and-white themes,” he said. “The obsession with the black and white has to end.”
Score: 22.5/30
4th place: Mimi and Kristian
Ignoring advice from the judges, Mimi and Kristian stuck with their decision to change the floorplan and make what was supposed to be a rumpus into a guest bedroom. “We’re opposite a communal area and with all that glazing, it should have been a rumpus,” said Marty. “It’s definitely a mistake,” added Darren.
Despite that, the room was beautiful, with soft yellow and sage green. A Porta timber nib wall doubled as a room divider and bedhead. Behind this was built-in cabinetry and a desk nook.
They ended on a high with the laundry, which had plenty of storage and bench space. “This is a laundry,” said Darren. “I didn’t know I wanted green appliances before today, but yes I do.” The direct access from outside was a win and the layout was impeccable. “This is probably the laundry of the day,” said Marty.
Score: 20.5/30
5th place: Maddy and Charlotte
It was a week full of setbacks for Maddy and Charlotte, who were determined to execute a queen-sized bunk over a queen bed, but unfortunately their endeavour fell flat. While Marty liked the idea of adding sleeping spaces, it didn’t translate in reality. “It’s got function, but it doesn’t have that magic,” he said.
As Shaynna pointed out, the external spiral staircase doesn’t make it child-friendly, yet it also doesn’t feel suitable for adults. “It just doesn’t feel like a second wing. It feels like we can fit four kids in here and we’ve got an extra play area,” said Shaynna. “They’re trying to cover too many parts of the market and I don’t feel this does it well enough.”
Aside from the fact it was unfinished, there was a lot to love in the laundry. “I like the cabinetry, I love the marble,” said Marty. Yet it could have done with some more storage for a house that sleeps 10. The toilet was lacking privacy, with a glass door meaning people outside could see in. “You need a frosted glass door,” advised Shaynna.
Score: 20/30
Tune into The Block 2024 on Sundays at 7pm and Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
Take a tour of all The Block holiday houses so far
Week 5: Main bedrooms and walk-in robe reveals
Week 8: Living and dining reveals
Week 9: Office and rumpus room reveals
In case you missed it:
This article originally appeared on Home Beautiful and is republished here with permission.
