Kylie and Brad’s house is about as far from a classic beach pad as you can get. Parents of four children aged from one to nine, Kylie and Brad are The Block 2024 contestants with a distinct design point of view. It’s been a battle for them to unify their personal tastes with what it takes to win The Block. They went too far in one direction with a disastrous all-black bathroom in week one and have steered towards the middle ground as the weeks go on.
The 37-year-old hairdresser and 32-year-old electrician and plumber had their marriage of seven years put to the test on the series. They’ve received criticisms about their Art Deco-style bedroom that judge and interior designer Shaynna Blaze, who has completed a 120-year-old country home renovation, insists isn’t suitable for the Phillip Island location.
Time will tell if they can also come back from interior designer Darren Palmer’s disdain for their dated design choices and real-estate agent Marty Fox’s marketability concerns.
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The Block 2024: Kylie and Brad’s house
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Week 1: Main bathroom
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the black bathroom in Kylie and Brad’s house. “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
Week 2: Guest bedroom
After a “disaster” of a black bathroom in the previous week, Kylie and Brad tried to rein in the use of black. Unfortunately, the pivot still wasn’t in the right direction. “It feels like Art Deco, but it’s not working because it’s not an Art Deco place,” said Shaynna. In agreement, Darren felt the style didn’t match the coastal location. On the plus side, Marty thought it wasn’t as “intense” as their bathroom. “This is palatable, this is marketable,” he said. The couple got points for putting in a fan, but the judges still wanted to see if Kylie could stay true to her style in a marketable way.
Score: 22/30
Week 3: Main ensuite
After a couple of weeks struggling to impress the judges, Kylie and Brad decided to persist with their black-and-white aesthetic. “They hate it, but I’m sticking with it,” said Kylie. “Instead of doing black, we’re [going for] white with black accents.” The shou sugi ban on the wall, which is a charred timber cladding, was a hit. “It’s a beautiful contrast [to the blackbutt vanity] – that light timber with the dark timber,” said Shaynna.
Darren liked the pendants, which were a more modern and simple version of the ones that felt “90s night club” in the first week. Shaynna still wanted them to drop the Art Deco details and lean into the beach setting more, but Marty felt good progress was being made. “I think it’s a massive step in the right direction for these guys, because they’re not losing their personality,” he said.
Score: 23/30
Week 4: Kids bedroom
After taking previous feedback on board, Kylie and Brad tweaked the direction they were heading in their black island escape. “I’m compromising. I’m doing a kids room in a slightly more coastal direction,” said Kylie. “This is it, they’ve done it!” said Darren. “It feels soft and light and bright.” Shaynna pointed out the natural timbers and earthy rug and felt they had finally got the balance right between the black and other softer elements.
Real-estate agent Marty felt this was a much more marketable room by Kylie and Brad, with the bunk beds a big selling point. “This is the only bedroom that sleeps seven people so far, so they’re one person ahead of the pack,” he said. “If you’ve got that in a holiday home, you get the highest rent and you build an amazing investment opportunity.”
Score: 27.5/30
Week 5: Main bedroom and walk-in robe
This week cemented the feeling that Kylie and Brad had found a way to execute their bold style in a palatable way. “They’ve hit their look and feel now,” said Shaynna. The judges agreed the black ‘shou sugi ban’ wall was the hero, along with the statement metallic wallpapered ceiling. “Now they’re nailing the materiality,” said Marty, who felt the quirkiness would stand out for buyers.
A dedicated space for make-up was a nice idea. The judges just would have preferred doors you couldn’t see through, to hide the view of products from the bed.
There were a few notes from Shaynna, who would have lowered the pendants next to the bed. Yet the wardrobe had them finishing on a high. “It’s like walking into a jewellery box,” said Darren. “I liked the wallpaper in [the bedroom], and I love it in here. It just looks so opulent and luxurious. This rug is such a good inclusion.”
Score: 27.5/30
Week 6: Kitchen
- Best feature: Matte fingerprint-proof cabinets.
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Biggest mistake: Trading practicality for novelty spin storage.
“This is moody and sexy,” said Darren. He loved the ultra matte cabinetry which doesn’t leave fingerprints, calling it a “clever decision” considering there are no handles. Their pared-back approach to styling was a big improvement from week one. “There are three things in here – a chopping board and plants – and it just works,” said Marty. “It’s so simple, but it’s so luxurious.”
The pair won pantry styling on a chocolate wheel game during the week, which took their organisation to the next level. The judges loved the novelty of the FurnSpin cabinets on the ends of the island and wall joinery, but wondered if the kitchen could have done with some extra traditional storage. “This is space age,” said Shaynna. “This is Tom Ford meets James Bond.”
Score: 29.5/30 (After playing their penguin, which added one point.)
Week 7: Guest ensuite
The judges loved the black Dekton tiles in Kylie and Brad’s week one bathroom, so it was a safe bet to put them in their guest ensuite. Combined with the grooved panelling above, it was considered a good design move. “I love the fact they haven’t tiled the whole thing and they’ve done this board here, which looks fantastic, the Hardie Groove,” said Shaynna.
The dusty pink vanity was “a bit random” in Marty’s opinion. This was the hero in the room for Shaynna who only wished they hadn’t placed clashing pink products in the shower. “I keep going to the column basin because it’s the bright shining light in this room,” she said. “I’m looking at the shampoo and conditioner in this lolly pink and it detracts from what the basin is doing. If you’ve got a hero, leave it alone. You don’t have to match it with anything else.”
Kylie and Brad went with contentious timber-look shower tiles, yet Darren approved. “I think it encapsulates that shower space so beautifully and it needs this balance. It needs that softness,” he said. “Even if it’s not real timber, I think it’s a really beautiful use of this tile.” Meanwhile, Marty was vocal about his distaste of materials masquerading as something else. “I think that’s a mistake. Using the timber-look tile is not what I would have done,” he said. “For me, it just feels a bit off.”
Score: 24.5/30
Week 8: Living and dining room
Kylie and Brad accented their oak floors with a licorice black timber wall and olive green furniture and decor. “It’s unbelievable,” said Shaynna. The ambient lighting particularly impressed the judges. “Not a single downlight in sight,” said Marty. “This is the lighting layout I’ve been hoping to see all day. These wall sconces are perfect. The strip light through here, fantastic.”
“This dining table anchors the kitchen and the lounge,” said Shaynna. “This is magnificent. This is what happens when you take the time to order a custom table.”
Dekton tiles were installed around the fireplace at great cost, but it was worth the investment. “The palette is really simple – black, green, oak – the end,” said Shaynna, who loved the addition of crushed linen curtains. “They add softness to this really strong, simple palette.”
Score: 29.5/30
Week 9: Office and rumpus
After scoring first place for their living and dining room the week before, it was a surprise that Kylie and Brad “dropped the ball” with their office and rumpus design. “I don’t understand why there is a couch up against a glass balustrade,” said Marty. “Why am I sitting 30cm off a glass balustrade looking over the living area?”
The rumpus wasn’t much better, with a lot of wasted space behind an awkwardly placed couch. Even the palette didn’t have the personality the pair have become known for. “When did they become so white?” said Marty. “I gave them a 10 last week. This is just not them.”
Score: 16/30
Week 10: Laundry and guest bedroom
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
Week 11: Backyard and pool
The married parents of four had a tumultuous week, with delivery delays setting them so far back that landscaper Tom Lovett from House 5 had his team help them out so they could finish. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and the judges were unimpressed. “It’s giving me absolutely nothing,” said Dave. The faux stone stacking around the pool didn’t resonate. “I don’t love fake tiles. That, to me, is killing every stonemason in Australia right now.”
“It really just feels like a water feature, even though it’s such a big pool,” said Marty. The boardwalk alongside stepping stones was confusing and there wasn’t enough decking for Darren’s liking. “You have lots of walkways, lots of different heights and different materials but not a lot of function, not a lot of enjoyable space,” he said.
Week 12: Front yard and facade
With personal dramas unfolding, Kylie and Brad still managed to complete their front garden and facade with some highlights. “We’ve got the coastal planting. All of this will grow in,” said Dave. “We’ve got the banksias and the lilly pillies. All of this put together will give you a nice entrance, and you’ve got to love the round steppers. That’s very architectural.”
“The circles are a really lovely balance against all the angles of these butterfly houses, because there are lots of sharp points and sharp angles,” Darren noted. “Then you’ve got the softness of the curve here, played out again with the mirror here, played out again with the door handles. It’s nice, I like that repetition.”
“That’s probably the only thing I’m liking,” said Shaynna. The choice of pendant lights at the entrance had her worried they would be banging against the wall with the Phillip Island winds. The artwork by Kylie next to two chairs at the front entrance didn’t go down well, either. “If you have to put a piece of art on the outside of your building, you’re in trouble,” she said.
“It’s almost like they’ve checked out.”
Marty Fox
The garage had everything it needed to. “There’s no pizzazz, but I frankly don’t care,” said Darren. They judges were happy to see the house had direct access to the tennis court. “This is actually a massive feature for the buyer,” said Marty. Yet it was clear something had gone amiss this week. “It feels like it was rushed. It feels like there was no money,” said Dave.
Score: 26/40
Head to the real estate listing for more details on Kylie and Brad’s The Block house.
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.
