Risky Wall Treatments

It’s obvious from watching The Block room reveals each Sunday night that impressing the panel of three Judges is a hard task. It can, however, be very well rewarded, not only with the weekly cash prize, but also with the satisfaction of knowing that the risk you (sometimes hesitantly) took has paid off.

This year on The Block Sky High, we have seen the contestants take weekly risks with their wall treatments. As far as bedrooms go, week one saw Bec and George secure the room win with their classic black and white striped wallpaper, but we also saw Matt and Kim fail to impress with their Jackson Pollock inspired “Panic Room” complete with rainbow paint splattered walls.

Last night’s room reveal saw most of the contestants branch out and try something new and creative with their walls, however it was unique wallpaper and a different take on timber cladding that stole the show, and the win, for Alisa and Lysandra. The girls impressed the judges with their choice of concrete wallpaper, from Safari Living (now available at The Block Shop), and the perfectly designed and constructed timber cladded floating wall opposite the bed in their luxury master bedroom and dressing room.

I’ve been lucky enough to walk through the completed master bedrooms and dressing rooms, and on inspection, I immediately walked over and touched the wallpapered wall to see if it indeed was as textured as it promised on sight. But no, it was as smooth as a normal painted wall, but seriously impressive. This instantly brought back memories of walking into Dale and Sophie’s third level study nook and being fooled by their scrapwood wallpaper.

If the fabulous wallpaper wasn’t enough, on the floating wall that divided their master bedroom from their luxurious dressing room, was a kind of timber cladding I have only ever seen on the exterior of buildings.

They really have hit the nail on head, so to speak, with their wall treatments this week and kudos to their builder Shiran, for being able to pull off the girls vision so well. Congratulations girls for delivering a truly luxurious room and pushing the boundaries with your wall treatments!

Madi and Jarrod went for a more traditional take on timber cladding by covering their dividing wall with an ash-blonde timber in a horizontal method. When done well, this can be a very effective and affordable way of adding interest and texture to any room. I mostly see this done with recycled timber boards, and it can either add warmth to a cold, sterile room, or really give a room a rustic more organic look and feel.

On the opposing wall, Madi and Jarrod opted for full height wall to wall sheer curtains. Curtains can completely change the mood of a bedroom and take it from “plain old bedroom” to “romantic, luxurious bedroom”. While not always the most affordable item in a room, they are often kept the longest out of all bedroom furniture and accessories, so when when choosing curtains it’s important to ensure that the fabric is not only good quality, but also a neutral colour that will still look great as our bed linen and accessories change with the seasons.

Another exciting finish we saw this week was Matt and Kim’s use of polished concrete (polished plaster/venetian plaster) on their bedroom walls. Typically undertaken by the older generation Italian plasterers with years of experience under their belt, it has made a huge comeback in recent years and covers the walls of every second café and new development in Melbourne. You might remember our visit to John McGrath’s luxury penthouse apartment in Sydney during The Block All Stars. Well, almost every wall of John’s apartment was completed to the highest standard in a white polished plaster. If done in the right tone and then furnished and styled appropriately, it can really set off a room and give it that luxurious feel the couples were all striving for.

This week also saw a different take on the “Upholstered Bedhead”, with Bec and George enlisting their tradies to construct theirs. I’ve often seen floor to ceiling upholstered bedheads cover entire walls, and they can be used as a way to divide bedrooms from their ensuites and wardrobes. When professionally upholstered and well considered with beautiful fabric and bed linen, you really can’t go past the comforting and luxurious look and feel it can create.

This week we saw level five stick to good ol’ gyprock and paint, however Trixie and Johnno aren’t afraid to experiment with their paint colour, and I absolutely loved the calming effect their room gave off. The styling was almost spot on, and I love Trixie’s use of bright accessories and linen, which really gave life to the room.

Overall, Master Bedroom and Dressing Room week was a big one, and the couples are surely starting to feel the budget pinch, however I am getting more and more excited each week by the new products and finishes the couples are experimenting with.

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