The Block 2023 room reveal recap: Leah and Ash win over judges with their no-expense-spared marble powder room

Introducing our recaps from our expert panel of ex-Block contestants, who will this year get to spend room-reveal night judging from their couch rather than standing on the proverbial chopping block before Scotty Cam. This week, Season 8 contestants Kyal and Kara Demmrich dissect the fourth room reveal of Season 19, 2023.

A mixed bag of reveals this week, with couples completing their downstairs bathrooms.

Having completed The Block and now renovating and building full-time for ourselves, it still astounds us that bathrooms are completed in a week. 

With varying layouts to contend with, it was left to the couples’ discretion as to whether they delivered a complete bathroom, with showers, or a powder room alone. 

We all know bathrooms (and kitchens) are likely to sell these homes, so it will be interesting to gauge the feedback from a buyer’s perspective on whether an additional shower downstairs adds value. We tend to think it would.

House 1: Kyle & Leslie ($18,352 spend)

Kyle and Leslie presented the smallest room this week in the form of a powder room.

A nice mix of materials with the concrete basin, finger mosaics and textured paint.

We do wonder if they’ve done themselves a disservice by not having a full bathroom downstairs, separate from their studio.

House 2: Leah & Ash ($25,389 spend)

There’s a lot to take in when looking at Leah and Ash’s bathroom this week.

Materialistically there’s a lot going on, but, given that the tones work together, they’ve pulled off a bathroom that looks sophisticated and well-resolved.

Quality-wise, and given the amount of marble used, it’s clear for a buyer to see no expense has been spared.

I love the art deco touch of the mirror and vase, which ties in to their home office styling.

House 3: Kristy & Brett ($33,718 spend)

Kristy and Brett delivered a textured bathroom this week complete with micro-cement walls and ceiling. 

Overall, a room that will impress buyers and ticks the box of a bathroom downstairs. 

We love the organic shapes featured in the mirror and basin and the fluted textures of the vanity and shower screen. 

However, the micro-cement walls left the room feeling as though there was a lot of negative space that could have otherwise been used as a feature. We would have perhaps run the tiles around the room up to 1200 millimetres.

House 4: Steph & Gian ($24,854 spend)

We adore the colour palette of Steph and Gian’s powder room this week. 

The Cosentino Taj Mahal stone is a stunning feature that adds a luxe touch. 

The issue we have with this vanity is the complete lack of storage for such a large piece of cabinetry. 

A Cosentino stone slab with a shelf underneath would have allowed some space for baskets, both for storage and aesthetic purposes. 

The organic mix of materials in this space, however, creates a calming room that we’re sure a buyer will love. 

Overall, Steph and Gian have been the most consistent so far in terms of delivering rooms that flow stylistically. 

House 5: Eliza & Liberty ($37,409)

Eliza and Liberty delivered a bathroom on a ground scale this week, with both a shower and bath.

Functionally, this bathroom ticked all the boxes – but the moss wall was an absolute no for us.

We’ve seen this moss feature work extremely well in a commercial setting alongside a plant installation.

In this setting, it looks like a mould installation around the mirrors. It’s a shame that this is such a polarising focal point as the rest of the bathroom is beautiful.

We love the corner window with the shutters; the perfect spot for a Sunday afternoon bath.

Results

1st – House 2, Leah and Ash, on 28 points (27 points + 1 gnome point)

2nd – House 3, Kristy and Brett, on 27.5 points

3rd – House 1, Kyle and Leslie, on 26 points

4th = House 4, Steph and Gian, on 25 points

4th = House 5, Eliza and Liberty, on 25 points

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