What is the point of a powder room – and how small is too small?

We’ve already tackled some of the tough renovating quandaries on The Block this season – how to furnish a granny flat, what does a study really need to include? – and now we’re onto the powder room dilemma of just how much thought and money to put into it.

The argument for splurging on this space is that it’s a room that visitors mostly use; if you want to impress them, go hard. The counter is that it’s “only” a space used ad hoc, so why splurge, compared to, say, a high-traffic area like a main-bedroom en suite.

I side with the frugal approach.

As such, I thought Kyle and Leslie’s slip of a room was perfect. It does what it says on the tin and, quite frankly, that’s all it needs to do.

As for the sour grapes from other teams about the size of the room, one could argue that it is, in fact, the spirit of the competition of The Block – the skill of choosing a house that you can manage.

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It may indeed be the smallest room in Block history (we’ll fact-check that for you!) but there’s no rule stipulating what size the delivered room has to be.

Kyle and Leslie treated the powder room for what it is … a place to powder your nose. The fact they had a beautiful vanity, a slick and compact loo and warm, textured walls meant they delivered a space that was thoughtful and well-considered. And they only spent $18,352 – half of what some of the other teams spent.

Although the space that Kristy and Brett delivered was lovely, I strongly disagree with their idea that a house can never have too many showers and baths.

Am I the only one thinking about practicality and maintenance? All that aside, their tile choices and colours were calming and welcoming – beautiful.

And I’m going to take them off the hook that the judges put them on for not installing underfloor heating. Yes, it is lovely, but truly, it is not necessary and the money saved on not doing it can be much better spent elsewhere.

Ahh Leah and Ash. I love art deco style, but I do not think a home’s heritage influence needs to be extended to every square metre of the house, with bathrooms and laundries being a case in point.

I am a marble lover from way back, but I confess to feeling a bit swamped by it in Leah and Ash’s house. I would have loved to have seen the stunning marble used with just a bit more restraint.

Steph and Gian stayed in their lane this week. A tick from me for the simplicity of their bathroom, but the loo positioning and the size of the (divine) stone vanity were off.

Elegant, oui. Necessary, non. My favourite element of their powder room was the beautiful wall light – a fine example of adding flourish and style without overdoing it.

And now to the elephant in the room, or rather, the moss on the wall: Eliza and Liberty’s bathroom. For the record, I am a huge fan of nature being used inside – I love the use of verdant greenery throughout a home – but the moss wall is a no from me.

I am seriously worried about how it will look over time, without being tended to. And the only thing perhaps worse than a moss wall is a dead moss wall.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to powder my nose.