The Block Villa Wars | Master Bedroom & Ensuite Reveal

Sunday on The Block Villa Wars was time to unveil the finished master bedrooms and ensuites, although only two out of the four teams managed to finish. A pay dispute between Cat and Mitch and their tiler put their ensuite behind, and they had to present their bathroom without grout or silicone. Money troubles and Hayden's health made for another difficult week for Jamie and Hayden, and in stark contrast Brooke and Mitch made Block NZ history to win three rooms in a row.

Brooke and Mitch: 1st place | 17.5 points

Sticking with their wining formula, Brooke and Mitch continued with Dulux Manorburn on the walls. What they do so well is produce a high quality finish, and that will impress potential buyers.

The brief was "loud and audacious" - this (in my opinion) is an odd theme for a bedroom which is often used as a peaceful retreat. Brooke and Mitch pushed the boundaries on their normal monotone colour palette to include splashes of mustard, and it was enough to impress the judges. I did like their long, built-in bedsides, but it does limit future owners to the size of their bed.

The size, practicalities, and finishes in the bathroom were fantastic, and once again, Mitch's plumbing skills were most handy, but I just don't love it. It's clean and practical, but unfortunately neither of these rooms excite me.

Sarah and Minanne: 2nd place | 16.5 points

I would've loved Sarah and Minanne to win this week (we know they could use a win!). Their bathroom was my favourite, and while their master bedroom wasn't perfect, it's miles better than some of their previous rooms. I also love their colour palette with a base of Dulux Spirits Bay Double layered with white, warm wood and blush pink.

It's not loud and audacious, which may have lost them points, but can I say again that calm and restful is so much nicer for a master bedroom.

The girls bathroom is beautiful, but I am a big fan of marble and I know some are not. It ties in beautifully with their black marble bathroom in week 3. Everything is kept quite simple allowing the marble to be the hero, I like their choices, their layout and placement, and their refined styling.

Cat and Jeremy: 3rd place | 15 points

With an unfinished ensuite Cat and Jeremy knew they couldn't win this week, but I still prefer their rooms to Brooke and Mitch's. Their master bedroom was reminiscent of their first bedroom in week 1 that gave them a win.

After being slammed for their choice of wall colour last week, the couple were smart enough to take their queue from interior designer and judge, Jason Bonham's website. They selected a soft grey Dulux Aniwaniwa, which I love.

There are some nice things happening in Cat and Jeremy's bathroom too. The round mirror and basins help to soften the square lines of the vanity. I love the matt black accessories and the little plant corner down by the toilet.

Jamie and Hayden: 4th place | 6.5 points

Such a hard week for these guys. It was nice to see them win the challenge to turn junk into a house gift for one of their neighbours, but not much else went their way. Hayden was sick, which left Jamie to do a lot of the work (I think she is amazing, don't you?). She has supported Hayden's bold decisions to put black carpet throughout their home and on most of the walls, but, although very loud and audacious, it's not favoured by the judges.

I do worry it will polarise them come auction day - people are either going to love it or hate it, which may reduce the amount of people wanting to buy the house. Dark rooms can be cosy and intimate, but it needed more sumptuous texture and a feeling of elegance. Instead the furniture and accessories made it feel a bit cheap - I know it's hard for them when they don't have the money to spend, they really need a win!

Unfortunately the bathroom was a bit lack lustre for me as well. It was OK, but bathrooms and kitchens are what sell houses, so they really needed some wow factor.

The first couple of episodes this week have produced some drama with dirty tactics sneaking in. I'm interested to see how this plays out and to see if anyone can knock Brooke and Mitch off the winning podium. Pop over to TV3 to check out more.

The Block Villa Wars | Living Room Reveal

You would think, after bathroom week, that creating a living room would be a piece of cake, but nothing is easy on The Block Villa Wars. The contestants had a busy week with the return of "dinner wars" as well as renovating their room. At stake was the sought-after prize of a team of professional painters to paint the exterior of the winner's house. The couples scored each other's dinner experiences very fairly (with, surprisingly, no nasty scores) and that led to Cat and Jeremy taking it out. But the week was to belong to Brooke and Mitch who won two weeks in a row with their light and airy living room.

Brooke and Mitch: 1st place | 16 points

Although Brooke and Mitch have played it very safe, what they have done is created a beautiful base that could easily be added to and enhanced further. Dulux Manorburn, a cool grey-white teamed with soft grey curtains from James Dunlop are warmed up by the lovely floorboards. I would've loved to have seen the curtains taken right up to the ceiling for a more sophisticated look though.

A David Trubridge Floral light is a great feature, but I have to say that I'm a little bit underwhelmed by the rest of the decorating. It's nice, but a little 'ho hum'. As I've said in previous posts, it feels like it needs another layer of personality.

The stone fireplace is stunning and another beautiful feature. This will be a real draw card for buyers.

Cat and Jeremy: 2nd place | 14 1/2 points

With their lowest score so far, I have to agree that it's not their best room. The wall colour, Dulux Pukehina, was criticised by the judges as well as the other contestants. I do applaud Cat for stepping outside the box, but it was risky doing the main living area in a peachy tone. We have used Resene Sakura before, which is a gorgeous peach blossom pink, and has a bit more depth than Cat's choice.

The room doesn't seem to have a 'hero' piece, there is a lot going on but no strong focus, although I like the choice of cushions and the window seat, and the nesting tables.

Unfortunately the fireplace isn't as slick as Brooke and Mitch's. Let's hope these guys can get their mojo back for master bedroom and ensuite week.

Jaime and Hayden: 3rd place | 13 1/2 points

Once again Jaime and Hayden didn't quite finish their area, and failure to complete one of the basic tasks (to insulate their ceiling) lost them a point. They continued with their strong black and white theme creating a dark media room next to a light, bright living room.

A beautiful parquetry feature wall by Martin the builder is impressive. The led backlit TV is also a feature, although, to me, the TV looks a bit lost in the big space. I know if it was larger you wouldn't see as much of the parquetry, which is far nicer to look at, but it is a media room, so the television is key.

The white room is OK, but I want more! Where are the beautiful big rugs and artworks? I'm not usually a huge fan of leather sofas, but the Freedom Atlas sofa is quite cool. The dark blinds don't work for me though, there is enough contrast with the walls and the carpet, I would've kept the window treatments light, or added some colour and pattern in with roman blinds.

Sarah and Minanne: 4th place | 11 points

The judges were scathing with their comments about the girls' living areas saying they felt cold and incomplete. I think their lack of wins and money means the girls have had to spread themselves a bit thinly. I actually really like Minanne's choice of the Dahlia sofa and Wing chair from Freedom, and their artwork above the fireplace. The colour palette is quite lovely too. But their finishings let them down with shoddy paintwork, and the placement of the pendants was an odd choice. Lighting should be either task eg: next to seating for reading, or mood lighting - those lights are neither.

The second room with the leather sofas was described as a waiting room, and that is what it looks like - there is no soul or personality in there. Perhaps it would've helped if they'd styled some pieces in the recessed boxes, and the room definitely needed a large rug (much bigger than the next door room's rug) and a large piece of art on the wall.

All that said, these rooms are easily fixed, they just need finishing off. I think Sarah and Minanne were harshly scored in comparison to the other contestants for this week.

All the teams are learning and improving (on the most part), so let's hope someone does something to knock our designer socks off with their master bedroom and ensuite.

The Block Villa Wars | Bathroom Reveal

The teams on The Block Villa Wars stepped it up on bathroom week. Renovating a bathroom from scratch in one week is absolutely crazy, but that's The Block! Knowing how much work, and how many trades go into a bathroom design, I'm impressed. But there was a bit of controversy as early leaders, Cat and Jeremy, scored the same as Sarah and Minanne despite not finishing their bathroom.

Brooke and Mitch: 1st place | 18.5 points

Being a plumber was a definite plus for Mitch on bathroom week. It meant he was only too aware of the process and could put his tradie skills to good use. They came away with the win producing a bright white, contemporary bathroom, and it also helped that they won $10,000 of bathroom appliances the week before.

As well as the bathroom appliances, Mitch had won an extra point in the "guess the child" challenge. But a breach in the rules, where they took work off-site to finish after tools down, meant they had the point taken off them as punishment. A further challenge saw Brooke win the point back in the "guess what's in the bucket". The couple used their point to boost the judge's scores, but it turns out they didn't need it as they won by two points.

I like Brooke and Mitch's tile choices with some lovely texture in the Tessere Bianco tiles from Tile Space, in contrast to the large matt Blendstone Grey tiles on the floor and opposite walls. Brooke's styling is improving too, don't you think?

Sarah and Minanne: 2nd equal place | 16.5 points

After a truly rocky start on The Block and lots of indecision, the sisters did a great job to complete their bathroom. The Frozen Garden tiles, once again, added lovely texture, and although the Marvel Pro Noir tiles were pretty cool, I would've loved some rich colours to contrast all that black - perhaps in some beautiful towels and/or accessories.

The judges criticised the simple wooden shelves, saying they took away from the glamour of the room. It's really important to nail all those smaller details as they have such an impact on the overall feel of the room.

Cat and Jeremy: 2nd equal place | 16.5 points

Cat and Jeremy's secret weapon in bathroom week was a wall of moss tiles shipped from Scandinavia and never seen in New Zealand before. It definitely added a "wow" factor and impressed the judges. Despite the fact that living green walls have been used a lot in recent Block series, I really like the look of the wall, and admire the risk. But I would be interested to know how it lasts, and if it's easy to clean and maintain.

The matt black tapware and accessories  are lovely, and the subtle Cementia Grey tiles allow the moss to be the hero. With the tight deadline, and the fact that you can't install the glass shower screens onto wet tiles, Cat and Jeremy failed to finish their shower. This is what caused a wee stir when they got the same score as the girls who had managed to finish in time. What are your thoughts on this?

Jamie and Hayden: 4th place | 13 points

It was more than just the shower screen that caused Jamie and Hayden to reveal an unfinished bathroom. Their ambitious design with a suspended ceiling, floor to ceiling tiles, and plenty of custom wood details meant they also failed to finish their tiling or install their toilet before tools down.

The suspended ceiling is a great feature, and I love the hexagonal Firenze Nero tiles and the towel rail from Mico. The slatted divider is cool, but I would've liked to have seen it carry on a bit further, and I question whether the raised bath platform was a good move. I know what they were trying to achieve here, but I feel that the bath should be moved away from the window, and the platform should be larger for practicality and looks.

Remembering all of these teams are amateur designers, I think they're doing a pretty good job. I notice that a lot of people are quick to criticise on social media, and I guess if you put yourself forward for a reality TV show you have to be prepared for that. But be kind people - constructive criticism is much better than pure nastiness.