Photography: The Block/Channel 9/9 Now
This week, The Block teams revealed their guest suites. Guest suites might not sound like the most important room in the house, but in a country town like Daylesford, you’re bound to have a slew of weekend visitors.
While some teams nailed their space, others left more to be desired, with three teams not even finishing the entire room. Then, there were the design decisions that left even the judges divided…
The most controversial design from the Block’s guest suites
Kitchenettes
Anyone who’s ever stayed over at a friend’s place knows the luxury of being able to make a cup of tea or coffee in your own room without having to tiptoe around the kitchen while your hosts are still asleep. For this reason, it was the teams that prioritised their guests’ comfort with a kitchenette that came out on top.
The judges were particularly impressed with Emma and Ben’s sage green guest suite and kitchenette design, which featured a green tile splashback, a brass sink and an abundance of space for mugs and plates. “It’s a beautifully laid out great space with a lot of amenities,” Darren said.
Britt and Taz also added a kitchenette to their space, and the judges appreciated the addition of a fridge, microwave, toaster and kettle, which Emma and Ben’s lacked.
However, not all of the judges deemed the kitchenettes necessary for the guest suite. When Shaynna and Marty critiqued Robby and Mat for not adding a kitchenette to their guest space, Darren defended their decision.
“If I was designing this house, I don’t know if I would put a kitchenette in either,” Darren said. It’s certainly a great value add, but day to day, this does everything that I would want it to do.”
Sonny and Alicia also chose to skip a kitchenette in their space, instead opting for just a bar fridge and coffee-making station, which felt like the perfect option for the space. Since guests aren’t exactly going to be cooking up a storm, the larger kitchenettes felt a little excessive.
The study nook
Han and Can’s study nook was another design decision that completely divided the judges. The couple incorporated a small workspace into their built-in wardrobes but Shaynna suggested they replace it with a bar fridge.
“It’s a holiday environment,” Shaynna said. “Do you want to sit in a corner in a little poky area and do your office work?”
Darren, however, was a fan of the design, saying, “If you are going to put a work from home space in here – a space for someone to retreat to and have a board meeting – that’s a good place for it.”
Work might not be on the holiday agenda, but when it pops up, a built-in desk does gives guests a proper place to plug in and get things done, without feeling like they are bringing their work into the middle of the house or having to balance their laptop on the bed awkwardly.
The wall panelling
Britt and Taz spent the week painstakingly staining their timber wall panelling – a move that unfortunately didn’t pay off with the judges.
“The wall pannelling is a bit odd,” Marty said as he stepped into the room. “It’s not as polished as the rest of the other rooms.”
Shaynna agreed that the wall pannelling was too rustic for the home, while Darren argued that at least it suits the Daylesford country style.
The bathrooms
This week, three out of five of the Block teams didn’t finish their bathrooms. While the judges tried to imagine what the bathrooms would look like if they were completed, they couldn’t fairly judge the spaces.
If the bathroom had been completed, we would have loved to have seen more baths. While the generous shower designs are beautiful, there’s something so much more luxurious about soaking in a hot bath at the end of the day – especially in the countryside, where you might have been out hiking or exploring. For guests, a bath is the detail that can turn a space into a sanctuary.
All The Block room reveal images were originally published by Channel 9/9Now on nine.com.au.
How Home Beautiful would design our guest room
As you may know, Home Beautiful is playing along and (virtually) designing our very own Block House 6. Since we’re going for a modern country aesthetic, we drew inspiration from the place we would love to stay – the UK’s luxurious Babington House in the Somerset countryside. The country cousin of London’s exclusive Soho House is just as indulgent as you would expect, complete with sumptuous bedding and deep soaking claw-foot tubs. Scroll on to see how our room compares.
Inspiration
Our mood board
Shop the products
- Blackheath floor mirror, $416 (usually $599) from Freedom
- Bea fabric occasional chair, $1,299 from Freedom
- Arlo bedside table, $599 from Freedom
- Audrey Poeme camel poped gas lift bed, $2,999 from Freedom
- Elements floor rug, $5,397 from Freedom
- Belize saffron quilt, $440 from Walter. G
- The Water Monopoly – Rockwell bath from The English Tapware Company
- Washed Linen wall covering, $472 per roll from The Fabric Editors
- Luxor tumeric wallpaper from Walter. G
- Revival istream 3L radio, $199 from Roberts Radio
Room reveal
For our guest suite, we wanted the room to exude the same indulgent feel of Babington House with a slightly more pared-back design better suited to Australia’s laid-back country style. To do so, we envisioned a space anchored by elegant architectural details, including a fireplace, coffered ceiling and parquetry flooring. The warm pops of mustard come from two comfy lounge chairs and a quilt on the bed. We imagine our guests would love to end the day soaking in a freestanding mint green tub.
In case you missed it…
Week 4: Main bedroom & walk-in wardrobe
Week 5: Living and dining rooms
Week 9: Laundry, Mudroom, Butler’s pantry, Powder room, Garage
Week 10: Alfresco terrace, Stratco shed
House 6: When Home Beautiful joins The Block
Everything we know about The Block 2025
5 fun facts you didn’t know about The Block 2025 teams
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