The Block 2020: tour the finished Brighton homes for sale
It’s arguably Melbourne’s most aspirational suburb – cafes, schools, the beach. Brighton has all of that for sure, but it’s the air of old-world grandeur that has many yearning to buy a piece.
It’s fitting then, that this year’s houses on The Block each come from a decade gone by, between 1910 and 1950, harking back to the suburb’s architectural and societal past.
This season’s couples were judged not only on their renovation and styling ability, but their appreciation of the era of each home, from the wartime 1910s to the modernist ’50s. Each nods (in some cases, with vigour) to the epoch, while keeping our 2020 lifestyle firmly in mind.
Just as well, too, as the way we live and work has turned on its head, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing Australia into lockdown and the couples to head home to their families mid-project.
“Getting shut down in the middle of the series really could have taken the wind out of the contestants’ sails completely,” The Block executive producer Julian Cress says.
He says the contestants returned with “sheer energy and a level of finesse and finish and joyfulness”, despite the angst of the pandemic.
“Getting shut down in the middle of the series really could have taken the wind out of the contestants’ sails completely,” The Block.
The five homes on New Street offer Brightonites, aspiring and existing, a piece of history. Not only of years gone by, but the one we have all lived through – with office spaces, of course – and areas to relax, take in nature and feel there’s no place like home.
The teams
Harry & Tash
The Victorian duo had a rocky start, losing their pick of house, but secured the best aspect. High ceilings and perfect furniture placement gave them the living and dining room win.
Sarah & George
With a touch of luxe and a neutral palette, the pair from New South Wales have created a glamorous home fit for a ’40s movie star and produced jaw-dropping spaces.
Daniel & Jade
The farmers from South Australia have been the bridesmaid many a time but used an extra point to take home the kitchen win, with their custom-made Christian Cole island bench.
Luke & Jasmin
The West Australian couple have scored several wins. After a slow start with their 1910s guest bedroom, a chat with judge Darren Palmer put them on track to be a team to watch.
Jimmy & Tam
The Queensland duo have cash to splash, and they’ve done just that. Their ’50s style is a perfect fit for the mid-century home on the corner end of The Block, making them contenders.
Notes from managing editor Alice Stolz
The Block has always been rather masterful at grounding dreamy real estate in the reality of renovating and preparing a home for sale.
The production team behind the show set the scene this season by achieving the first step – securing a dress-circle location in one of Melbourne’s chicest suburbs, Brighton. It was then up to the five couples to rise to meet the market.
This season was sensationally interrupted by the country’s national shutdown, mirroring – as The Block so often does – the unheralded twists and turns of readying a home for sale.
Yet despite this (and maybe because of it), the contestants have delivered five houses that marry the luxury expected of such an address with the functionality called for in a pandemic-battered world.
The lockdown interlude added an additional element of pressure to the already enormous task of not just renovating raw floorboards and frames into well-composed homes, but producing high-end properties capable of exciting a discerning bayside market.
This season was sensationally interrupted by the country’s national shutdown, mirroring – as The BlockThe teams were cognisant of the shift the pandemic has had on the way we live and responded with gusto and flair. In doing so, they’re also introducing a new way of living in one of Melbourne’s most traditional and beautiful suburbs – and you know what, Melbourne has never been more ready for change.
Inside the houses
Jimmy & Tam
To say Palm Springs inspired this home is putting it mildly. Monochrome terrazzo tile is the first bit of ’50s wow-factor you notice when walking in – but then you look up.
Jimmy and Tam’s “game-changer” for the season – a vintage chandelier, each odd-shaped glass flute hung individually – floats against a timber feature wall behind, the light dancing across each panel.
Differing from the layouts of the other homes – where up until the ’40s long hallways reigned supreme – visitors here can head left to two bedrooms, or right to the living area.
This house is full of surprises, and those in the know will find a secret door in the timber wall straight ahead to a spacious laundry.
To the bedrooms, and the first guest room has a subtle green palm tree wallpaper and another secret door through the wardrobe to a sea-green tiled bathroom, complete with a verde-hued basin.
The main bedroom reveals a long hall with a spacious wardrobe through one door, and a blush pink en suite through the other. A sand-coloured brick fireplace sits between windows with sheer curtains, and more whimsy is found in the palm leaf wallpaper behind the bed.
Venture upstairs to a generous landing and you’ll find the controversial “fuzzy peach” paint and terrazzo bathroom on the right – a bold combination that works.
A wall-sized sliding door separates the upstairs living room and the remaining two bedrooms, both equipped with study spaces, from the landing.
Downstairs to the hallway and there is a powder room and yet another secret door, this time to the butler’s pantry.
A sleek lounge and dining area sits to the left, but it’s the Gaggenau-clad kitchen that really catches the eye.
“It’s the most expensive kitchen in the history of our show,” The Block executive producer Julian Cress says.
A mint-green island with black stone benchtop places you firmly in the mid-20th century. But the expansive bench space, butler’s pantry and those high-end appliances, including a wine fridge stocked with rare nectars from around the globe, heralds 2020.
“There are so many features of this house that you can’t get in any of the others,” Cress says.
Auction: November 21
Agent: McGrath, Josh Stirling 0432 071 806
Harry & Tash
The first thing you notice is the light – and then you realise it’s everywhere. The entry to Melbourne father-and-daughter team Harry and Tash’s 1920s-inspired home is offset by the towering ceiling with Velux skylights.
A bedroom to the right reveals more of them, with the ceiling taken up to the roofline. Walk straight ahead and a dressing room that would fit right in at Her Majesty’s Theatre is what you’ll find first.
To the right is a grand bedroom with a mirror that’s actually a television, and to the left is a spa-inspired bathroom where emerald green tiles reference the bedroom’s pheasant-print wallpaper.
A neat bathroom and laundry sit further along the hall and as you venture forward, the light keeps streaming in through sweeping, north-facing windows.
The only house on The Block with a northern aspect, it’s clear now what sets it apart. A well-configured kitchen, dining and living area makes the most of the home’s natural charms. “Harry and Tash came last in the first challenge and somehow ended up with the best aspect,” Cress says.
Upstairs, views to the top of an old oak tree in the yard puts the house firmly among Brighton nobility.
Here, two bedrooms, a study space and stylish bathroom round out this very ’20s home.
Auction: November 21
Agent: Whitefox, Marty Fox 0438 808 859
Sarah & George
Leadlight doors framed in black are the first clue that you’ve arrived somewhere glamorous – stars of the 1940s silver screen would have found themselves quite at home in Sydney couple Sarah and George’s house.
To the left and right are two generous bedrooms – the main features a fireplace and the original ceiling rose, along with a bold colour palette of aubergine, bright red and forest green.
Travel through the spacious walk-in wardrobe to the en suite, where the double shower is almost like a runway, and the black, white and grey palette is again accented with a lilac-tiled feature wall.
A laundry and mudroom complete with pet bed sits further along the hallway, at the end of which you’ll find an arched, black-framed, glass door – Sarah and George’s “game- changer” for the season.
Into the expansive dining and living room and a heated seat surrounds the gas fireplace. A monolith of curved dolomite stone sits proudly in the kitchen – it’s one of the most beautiful island benches we’ve ever seen.
“They brought a level of luxe to it with the kitchen, in particular the dolomite island bench,” Cress says.
More monochromatic luxury awaits upstairs with quilted terrazzo tiles in the bathroom, and a towering wall with subtle forest-print wallpaper in one of the two bedrooms. A functional study rounds out the space.
Auction: November 21
Agent: The Agency, Jesse Raeburn 0429 193 978
Daniel & Jade
A true family home in every sense of the word, the warmth here is evident from the picture rails in the hallway to the lovingly restored 1930s original light fitting in the guest bedroom.
Marvel at the main bedroom where more deco touches await, from the gold shell wallpaper to the dresser in the same metallic hue.
A secret door in the walk-in wardrobe reveals a fairytale bathroom with fish-scale tiled walls, a double shower and a deep, free-standing tub. It really is like opening the door to Narnia.
Upstairs you’ll find not two, but three good-sized bedrooms – South Australian farmers Daniel and Jade’s is the only house in The Block to include five bedrooms in the main building. More surprises await on this level with an excellent teen hangout space and yet another secret door to ample attic storage.
The main living area of this house feels comfortable – you can imagine the kids running about or maybe doing their homework at the kitchen bench, but it is also luxurious.
A gold-flecked, curved wall houses the fireplace and mirrored television. And about that kitchen bench – it’s a custom-made, Christian Cole island in a walnut-coloured timber, curved to perfection.
“That’s the sort of thing in a home where the buyer can’t go next door and get it anywhere else,” Cress says.
Auction: November 21
Agent: Belle Property, David Wood 0418 315 114
Luke & Jasmin
From the parquetry floor in the hallway to the crisp white walls, West Australian couple Luke and Jasmin’s bright and airy 1910s era home is very Brighton.
The main bedroom just right of the entry features all the Federation detail you could ask for – wainscoting on the walls, a timber-gridded ceiling and a bay window seat.
But it’s the modern elements that set it apart, including a lush, black four-poster bed and walk-in robe with black-framed glass shelves.
Enter the winning en suite and a curved wall laden with thin vertical tiles is something to behold. A statement black egg-shaped bath brings the drama, while a fluted glass shower screen adds a touch of early 20th century sea-baths glam.
Along the hall is another guest bedroom and en suite, and a laundry. Upstairs you’ll find two bedrooms and another glorious bathroom. A separate TV room rounds off the second floor – a perfect teen retreat.
In the living spaces it’s blond timber, white and gold. A custom curved timber wall reveals a very cool kitchen – the island bench has the same timber detail at its base and is topped with an elegant Caesarstone.
Simple white cabinetry gives a sleek finish, and gold tapware and accents on the lighting dial up the glamour.
“They have probably delivered the broadest appeal for the suburb of Brighton,” Cress says.
Auction: November 21
Agent: Buxton, Halli Moore 0403 777 661
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