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The Block 2019 Room Reveal: Courtyard Week

We take a look inside the contestants' Oslo courtyards

Jesse and Mel Courtyard - The Block 2019

Jesse and Mel Courtyard Reveal

Score: 29.5/30 - Winners!

It wasn’t just Jesse and Mel’s eight-metre high tiled feature wall that scored them a win for Courtyard Week. In terms of form and function, the couple absolutely knocked it out of the park.
“This is spectacular,” Neale said, upon stepping foot inside the striking space, which also featured statement sconce lighting, a timber BBQ and bar fridge, large timber seating area - complete with bespoke upholstery - and a huge timber table and black chairs.

Jesse and Mel Courtyard - The Block 2019

Shaynna thought their decision to include that amazing feature tile on the left-hand wall was a stroke of genius. “And look at those lights!” she said. “Can you imagine how beautiful it will look at night?”
Neale said he’d never seen tiles used to such great effect. “You just can’t NOT come out here and stand and stare, because it’s overwhelming,” he said. “The height, the grandeur, the magnificence of it - it’s incredible.”

Jesse and Mel Courtyard - The Block 2019

Darren liked the consistency of the couple’s indoor and outdoor flow, and he also liked the grand sense of scale, achieved by canter leveraging the seating. “What you get is a sense of space, visually,” he explains. “What we have got is a usable space that functions highly and gives you extra purpose here, in terms of dining and a lounge area and a fridge. It has all the functions that you would want from an outdoor room.”
We agree - we love everything about this well-designed space. Well done, guys.

Mitch and Mark Courtyard - The Block 2019

Mitch and Mark Courtyard Reveal
Score: 29/30 - Second place

Mitch and Mark once again brought the ‘wow factor’ to their latest space, producing a drop-dead-gorgeous ‘Palm Springs’-inspired outdoor courtyard that was light, bright, fresh, and - most importantly - fun. 
The hero was undoubtedly that amazing floor-to-ceiling outdoor wallpaper, which featured the enormous palm trees and breeze blocks synonymous with America’s desert design hotspot. “This is pure joy,” said Shaynna, who admitted she was finding it hard to wipe the smile from her face.

Mitch and Mark Courtyard - The Block 2019

Neale was also a fan, saying he particularly liked the use of fake plants around their custom-made ‘The Oslo’ neon sign, which worked beautifully against the black backdrop of their main wall. 
Offsetting this dramatic focal point was the white-tiled BBQ, the choice of white chairs around a concrete outdoor table, the use of striped bench seat coverings and a gorgeous oversized terrazzo pot. Darren particularly liked that the couple delivered on consistency, bringing the brickwork they’d used inside around their fireplace and tying it beautifully with the courtyard. “You've got that Miami, very “outdoor” palette of blue and white,” he also said of their seating furnishings. 

Mitch and Mark Courtyard - The Block 2019

Shaynna said she liked the fact that it was functional, as well as striking. “This is actually incredibly low maintenance,” she said, pointing to the couple’s use of succulents to landscape their garden. “[They] are no maintenance at all, so the owner could travel, and [the garden] would really look after itself really well.”
We ADORE everything about this great courtyard - well done, guys! 

Deb and Andy Courtyard

Andy and Deb Courtyard Reveal
Score: 26/30 - Third place

Andy and Deb managed to create a beautiful, calm “inner-city oasis” in their courtyard, which the judges all agreed was a lovely, warm, inviting area. 
“This is a chilled space. I feel like I’m right at home here,” said Darren upon stepping into the walled-off courtyard, which featured timber feature walls, vertical garden details, a timber bench seat, circular coffee table and a large patch of artificial turf - perfect for buyers who might have a woofy little friend in tow.

Deb and Andy Courtyard

The judges particularly liked the way the outdoor space flowed from inside. “I think this is absolutely seamless,” Neale said. “The way this flows from the kitchen and living area, I think it’s been beautifully done, as we have come to expect from Deb and Andy.”
Darren loved how the couple managed to make the space feel so light and spacious, thanks, in part, to the use of that lovely ‘Dune’-coloured Colorbond wall cladding. 
“It’s a lighter colour, but you still get this lovely linear element,” he said. “It drives your eye upward, and it’s such a great, durable product.”

Deb and Andy Courtyard

The use of climbing plants and a large oversized tree softened the space even more, and, with time, will give the area ample greenery, all adding to the “oasis effect.” 
Though the couple ran out of money and were unable to furnish the area with a table and chairs or a BBQ, cushions placed on the floor made it feel like the type of space you’d want to gravitate to, to sit and relax. Well done, guys!

Elise and Matt Courtyard The Block 2019

El'ise and Matt Courtyard Reveal
Score: 26/30 - Fourth place

El’ise and Matt managed to create a beautiful, tranquil space in their courtyard, which the judges agreed provided a lovely respite from the busy streets of St Kilda outside. They managed to do this by incorporating a stunning stone feature wall - designed to match their gorgeous feature fireplace inside - a timber bench seat, large statement pots, hanging pendant lights and a black wire table and chair set. 

Elise and Matt Courtyard The Block 2019

But it was the bamboo garden feature that won over the judges the most, with Darren saying there was immediately something “calming” about it’s placement. “When the wind goes through that bamboo, it’s the calming, rustling sound,” he said. “It’s such a nice diffusion of that city hustle and bustle that’s right there outside. And then you get a little cue like that, that brings you right back down to earth.”
Matt and El’ise dressed their space with a few quirky details, like the gold stag-head hose, and whimsical face pot, which they used as a planter for aromatic thyme. As well as these fun touches they also made sure to include functional additions, like that lovely round black table, which Shaynna thought worked well. 

Elise and Matt Courtyard The Block 2019

All three judges liked the colour palette the couple used - especially the use of ‘Surf Mist’ colourbond walls - and the way it flowed with inside.
“This is tranquil...it’s got a lovely sense of peace about it,’ Neale said. And we agree - well done, guys!

Tess and Luke Courtyard - The Block

Tess and Luke Courtyard Reveal
Score: 24.5/30 - Fifth place

Tess and Luke continued their dramatic, almost monochromatic, look in their courtyard space, producing a gorgeous, contemporary area that featured patterned flooring, a black feature wall with gold Rio sculptural feature, gold pots, a large domed hanging heater and black table with timber bench seats. But undoubtedly the main focal point was that absolutely stunning spiral staircase, which all three judges agreed was a stroke of genius.

Tess and Luke Courtyard - The Block

“The staircase is absolutely beautiful,” Shaynna said. And Darren agreed: “At night when all those little lights are on, it’s going to light up the tread and you will really get a sense of the movement that that spiral gives you.”
The judges like that the couple spent judiciously, using sponsors to provide big, bold, architectural focal points to the courtyard.
“I think that is one of the best aspects of this space, that they have played with textures on a neutral, monochromatic dark palette and then sculptural items, like these pots, this spiral staircase, the heating dome - and even this golden Rio,” said Darren.
While they thought the functionality was a little lacking - no budget meant the couple were unable to include a BBQ - all loved the way the outdoor space flowed with what was already presented indoors. Shaynna, in particular, liked how they played up the lightness by including that tiled feature floor.

Tess and Luke Courtyard - The Block

“I do love their play on the different tiles, the different shapes and different colours,” she remarked. “It’s a light relief when you first walk in because it’s so dark everywhere else, but you’ve got light and shade on the floor out here.”
We think it’s fantastic - well done, guys!

For more news from The Block 2019

Block 2019 room reveal recaps

The Block Shop Pop Up is open on Fitzroy Street, St Kilda!

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Take a peek inside Andy and Deb's real-life home

Meet the contestants HERE

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