The Block 2025 | Room Reveal-Week 10- Alfresco

Robby & Mat (First place)
From the highs of the massive Trendz fireplace to the lows of the “underwhelming” furniture on the deck and the middle ground of a usable but uninspiring outdoor kitchen, the judges didn’t have any great emotion about Robby & Mat’s Alfresco area.

The shed piqued their interest, however, with Darren (of course!) loving the idea of a full at-home gym, sharing space in the shed with a well-appointed tool area.

But it was downstairs that the judges were waiting to see… And it was love at first sight. “This is insane!” Shaynna said as she and the judges walked into the shipping container-sized sunken space. With the right colour, lighting, and cabinets (including a Gaggenau fridge), this was a winner right down to the wallpaper designed by Robby. A clear winner...

Sonny & Alicia (Second place)
The most “connected” Alfresco presented, Sonny & Alicia’s outdoor kitchen and dining area incorporated the bricks of the building’s façade, the style of the adjacent dining room, and a style all its own (helped by a Darren Palmer Sandridge Taupe rug, and B2C Furniture Casa Hardwood Counter Stools!) to put a smile on all the judges' faces.

And the overhead heating? “Welcome to Rancho Relaxo!” Marty said. The orientation of the EcoDeck helped with the impression of space, Darren said, with the “sheddiest shed on The Block” a pleasant surprise.

With a workbench that doubled as a pool/Ping-Pong table and games storage, this was a multi-purpose space perfect for the area, Shaynna said. You could even, Marty said, make this a place to store a classic car…

Britt & Taz (Third place)
With a teppanyaki plate, barbeque, outdoor fridge, and a huge outdoor dining area (even if some of it looked a little rushed, like the rangehood), Britt & Taz’s alfresco ate into the deck space, the judges said, but thanks to clever furniture choices, including the super-comfortable B2C Furniture Casa Hardwood Counter Stools, that was fine by them.

In the shed, the judges found a workable but simple tool space on one side and a well-finished and fitted wine-tasting area on the other.

Stylish and sexy, with touches like the Cooper & Co Countryside photo frames, Marty said, “This is pretty bloody cool! It would have been a great place to sip and sample the area’s offerings, Shaynna said, but was it compliant? She’d wait and see.

Emma & Ben (Fourth place)
Under a Stratco variable awning on the expansive merbau deck, Shaynna immediately found a place in one of the huge wicker chairs that bookended the patio table in a space that was. 

Darren agreed, “An entertainer’s delight!” “It’s got everything you could need, he said, with excellent BBQ from E&S and Gozney Pizza oven making for “a really well-fitted-out outdoor kitchen” served by Black Mango Anka Oak counter stools and one of his own, Darren Palmer Collection Hearthstone Rectangle Rust cushion on the Freedom furniture outdoor lounge.

Inside the shed, they found space split between the traditional tools (with a high-tech Ryobi touch, of course) and a golf simulator. Was it a bit masculine, Shaynna wondered… Not at all, said Marty. If anything, it’s just opened a whole new market!

Han & Can (Fifth place)
Placing a Japanese garden under the shelter of the Patio roof might have created a deck oasis, but at the cost of space, Marty said. And while the outdoor kitchen was functional and well-appointed, with a perfect colour scheme carried through to the furniture, it was unfinished, with missing tiles, random styling, and a bar fridge pushed off to one side.

The potting/painting shed was “bougie”, Shaynna said, with the brick panelling and Velux skylights, but was it the best use of resources, Marty asked, especially given it was another unfinished room?

It was, Shaynna replied, with Can’s custom wallpaper a delight, but looking at the bench seat and stools, she had the same question she had at house three… Was it compliant when it comes to being assessed as a habitable space?

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