The Block 2024 living and dining room reveal recap: One team delivers the 'favourite room of the season'
This week, the Blockheads faced their biggest challenge yet – the living and dining rooms, or as Shaynna calls it, “the soul of the home.”
With up to 75 square metres to transform, the pressure was dialled up, and plasterers became the most sought-after asset on site. There was drama galore: with the delayed delivery of the Gyprock each team needed to finish their rooms (should they have stockpiled some, Foreman Dan?) But the real fireworks came from a return of the Blockhead’s favourite game – plasterer poaching.
Maddy and Charlotte found themselves in the thick of it again. After having their plasterers snatched by Kristian and Mimi in their first week, they finally secured their own. This time, Courtney swooped in, wanting him for herself (rumour has it, you get a free toaster if you collect all the plasterers on The Block). At first, Maddy and Charlotte seemed willing to share, but then they remembered (thanks to their chippy reminding them) how, when they needed help, Courtney and Grant would have rather had their plasterers sitting idle than lend a hand.
So, the girls hit back with a firm no (we’re so proud). Cue Courtney and Grant scratching their heads as their plan unravelled. As Courtney had previously pointed out when justifying their own deviancy, “It’s still a competition at the end of the day.”
Meanwhile, Ricky and Haydn, still chasing that elusive room win, continued to dominate the challenges, leaving everyone else to eat their dust.
But back to why we’re here: room reveals. So, who’s going to wow the judges this week, and who’s going to regret their decisions?
House 1: Maddy and Charlotte living and dining room reveal ($34,719 spend)
Fresh off last week’s win, Maddy and Charlotte set their sights on another victory. But despite their best efforts, the beige-on-beige vibe they chose leaves the judges split down the middle of the vanilla bean.
Shaynna was absolutely floored by the high ceilings and skylights, gushing, “Oh my god, what a space! That ceiling line and those Veluxes – it just soars.” She was equally in love with the textured elements throughout the room, but one thing really threw her off: the dining table. “We have a vast island bench and a vast couch, and this feels like a teeny-tiny table.”
Darren, however, is feeling the space’s overall vibe, praising it for being “elegant, friendly, natural, encompassing, and inviting. Everything you want when you walk through a front door.”
Marty is a big fan of what the girls have delivered, calling it “strategically clever”. “Whilst it isn’t dramatic, it is sophisticated, it is inviting, it is homely,” he says.
But let’s not get carried away – it isn’t all smooth sailing on this island.
Shaynna thinks the girls’ styling has let them down and walks around the room, pointing out all the styling mishaps they’ve made: “Neale Whitaker would lose his S-H-I-T with the size of that lamp – we want a grand lamp.”
“Not doing much wrong isn’t a bad outcome,” Marty says, and this really fires Shaynna up, saying, “that’s vanilla”. Cue collective gasp!
Marty, though, was ready to defend the humble vanilla. “Shaynna, vanilla is a universally loved flavour, so I’m sticking to it!” he shoots back.
Darren sums it up best: “There’s nothing wrong with vanilla, you just need some sprinkles.”
House 2: Courtney and Grant living and dining room reveal ($36,282 spend)
If Courtney and Grant’s living room was an ice-cream flavour, Shaynna thinks it’d be rum ‘n’ raisin. And Shaynna loves rum ‘n’ raisin.
Last week, the judges thought their styling and delivery were a bit too much, but Shaynna sees this as a return to form for the duo, remarking, “I love that we do have the naturals and the neutrals, with a little bit of punch … I quite like it.”
The dining chairs are a hit, and designed by Courtney herself through her Lazy Stylist interior design business.
Darren can’t stop gushing over the space, praising the sheer scale and colour choices.
“It gives it a softness and a tactility that I really love.” And he isn’t done yet, continuing to rave about the details: “They’ve softened things that need to be softened and sharpened things that need to be sharp.” Could it be the sneaky inclusion of Darren’s own Skinny Dip candle that tipped him over the edge? We wouldn’t rule it out.
After all that initial praise, Shaynna notices the much-too-high pendant lights hanging in the corner and can’t hide her disdain. “I hate them,” Marty bluntly declares, and everyone agrees; they hate them, too.
But there’s another design decision that Marty really can’t get his head around: the placement of the fireplace. “It’s in possibly the worst position in a room of this size,” he says. “It doesn’t do the job it’s supposed to do,” Darren adds.
Despite the odd lighting choices and quirky layout, Darren remains smitten, saying the space is “exceptionally beautiful in terms of all the inclusions … aesthetically, I love every decision here”.
House 3: Ricky and Haydn living and dining room reveal ($49,479 spend)
This week, Ricky and Haydn didn’t hold back, rolling out the big guns in their 64-square-metre living and dining space.
This week, they want the judges to react with “WOW”. And that’s exactly what they get.
“Wow!” says Darren as he steps inside. The sheer size of the room has the judges reeling. “This is a football oval,” says Shaynna as she tries to grasp the room’s massive scale. “This is about five metres bigger than the previous houses,” Marty adds.
They’re oohing and ahhing over the massive $20,000 artwork that the boys won in the lamp-making challenge.
Shaynna is smitten with the lounge area, praising the pair for lowering the ceiling height here: “It just makes you want to go into the ‘lounge pit’. It’s like a little sanctuary,” she says. Darren calls it “intimate”.
Marty agrees: “Being a lower ceiling, it has that anchoring feeling, and, I don’t really want to leave.”
But, proving size isn’t everything, things take a turn when they focus on the dining area. “The dining table needs to anchor this space,” Shaynna points out, unimpressed with the size and colour of the table.
Marty agrees, saying, “The placement of the furniture is a bit of an optical illusion.” Darren chimes in, feeling that everything is “quite heavy”.
Despite the improvement, the judges aren’t entirely convinced. Some crucial details, particularly the lighting plan, leave them underwhelmed. Darren sighs, “They kinda missed the mark”.
But Marty thinks the “bang for their buck” that a buyer will get at the boys’ house is “incredible”. And remember, it’s all about the auctions at the end of the day.
House 4: Kylie and Brad living and dining room reveal ($50,235 spend)
Kylie and Brad didn’t just go big this week; they went monumental, delivering a 75-square-metre masterpiece that had the judges absolutely floored. This room was all about making a statement, from the massive Dekton stone surfaces to a show-stopping fireplace. And it worked – big time.
In fact, Shaynna, in a moment of pure joy, actually starts singing upon entering. “This room sings!” she declares, raving about everything from the colour palette to the stunning Christian Cole dining table. “I’ve got to touch this beautiful table. This is magnificent,” she adds, unable to hide her excitement.
Darren can’t help but marvel at the sheer scale of the space, exclaiming, “You could fit a two-bedroom apartment in this!” He’s fully on board with the black, green, and oak palette, and his lighting dreams finally came true: “Not a single downlight in sight. This is the lighting layout I’ve been hoping to see.”
Marty is equally impressed, praising the room’s symmetry and sophistication, declaring it “my favourite room of The Block this season.”
Barely a bad word is said about Kylie and Brad’s space, and their bold choices paid off in spades, setting a new benchmark for the competition.
In keeping with the ice-cream metaphor that the judges seem to be loving this week, they think Kylie and Brad’s flavour is liquorice: “Who knew that liquorice ice-cream could be this delicious?” Darren says.
House 5: Kristian and Mimi living and dining room reveal ($14,552 spend)
It was a rough week for Kristian and Mimi, and unfortunately, it showed in their “Living and Dying” room. From paint shortages to styling meltdowns, it felt like everything that could go wrong did, with Mimi adding, “I no longer know what to do.”
Their 43-square-metre space did offer a beautiful view. “That is one of the most amazing features of this property; these windows and the fact that they are the only ones with a view of any description,” Shaynna says, but that isn’t enough to save it.
The layout and orientation has the judges scratching their heads. Marty is the first to notice, pointing out, “This is a little bit smaller than what we’ve come from,” with Darren echoing the sentiment: “Not as much space.”
Marty doesn’t mince words, summing it up bluntly: “Let’s take the house with the best outlook and just turn everyone’s back to look at the TV.” He isn’t alone. Shaynna can’t believe the wasted potential of the view, saying, “I’m not coming to the beach for my whole room to be built around a TV.”
Not having a fireplace also feels like “a mistake” for Marty.
Shaynna doesn’t hold back when it comes to their styling choices either. “This doesn’t say ‘expensive’ to me. Where’s the elevated luxury?” she asks, disappointed by the lack of polish. Marty adds, “There is no sophistication whatsoever,” leaving no doubt about how he felt.
While Shayna and Marty are piling it on, Darren is on Kristian and Mimi’s side, saying, “I don’t agree with either of you. It’s nicely proportioned, I think it has a great outlook, I think it will function really beautifully for a holiday home”.
There’s one positive you can take from this, Kristian and Mimi.
Week eight living and dining room scores
| House | Team | Score | Place |
| House 1 | Maddy and Charlotte | 25.5 | 3rd |
| House 2 | Courtney and Grant | 26.5 | 2nd |
| House 3 | Ricky and Haydn | 25 | 4th |
| House 4 | Kylie and Brad | 29.5 | 1st |
| House 5 | Kristian and Mimi | 23.5 | 5th |
Living and dining week was a roller coaster of highs and lows as the Blockheads tackled their biggest challenge yet. Kylie and Brad soared to the top with their 75-square-metre masterpiece, giving them an easy win (and scoring two 10s, no less) and proving once again that bold risks can bring big rewards – and $30,000 to boot. Their room didn’t just impress the judges, it left them singing. Literally.
Meanwhile, Maddy and Charlotte delivered a cohesive, though slightly “vanilla,” space. Despite some wow-worthy moments (those skylights!), they couldn’t quite keep up with the competition. Courtney and Grant’s dramatic flair had its moments of brilliance, but their controversial fireplace raised more questions than compliments.
Ricky and Haydn brought their signature oversized style, but the furniture placement left everyone scratching their heads. And then there was Kristian and Mimi, whose layout issues had the judges turning away – literally – from what could have been a killer view.
From plasterer poaching to design fumbles, this week had most of the teams battling uphill, but hey, there’s always next week to bounce back, right?
This article is brought to you by Snooze. It’s amazing what 50 years of Snooze can do.
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