Channel Nine
The Block judge Darren Palmer has revealed why this week’s living room reveals left him more frustrated than almost any he can remember–and it all came down to one surprisingly simple design mistake.
With Mount Eliza‘s spectacular landscape unfolding beyond enormous windows and terraces, the contestants were handed arguably their biggest opportunity yet in week five: the chance to design living, dining and alfresco spaces around the multi-million-dollar views that will ultimately help sell these homes.
Instead, almost every team pointed their living room towards the television. Speaking exclusively to Home Beautiful after judging, Darren explained why the decision bothered him so much.
“The orientation should be to serve best amenity everyday as well as selling the main benefits of the house, and this season we have the best selling point you can get with those million dollar views.”
DARREN PALMER, THE BLOCK JUDGE
His frustration was obvious during judging. Scotty Cam later relayed to the contestants that “Darren couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this p***ed off.” And he had good reason to be.
After weeks of bathrooms, bedrooms and walk-in-robes, living and dining week was the first real chance to see how each team’s design choices would translate into the expansive communal spaces buyers will actually spend much of their time in. With enormous windows framing treetops–and, for some houses, glimpses towards the ocean–the judges couldn’t understand why the view had been treated as secondary to a television.
There were still some beautiful moments. Fireplaces, natural stone, soft colour palettes and seriously impressive outdoor entertaining areas gave us plenty to love. And after an unfinished ensuite cost them dearly last week, Adam and Jolene finally had their moment, taking out their first room reveal win of the season.
Elsewhere, it was an emotional week for Rick and Tayla after Rick was forced offsite with a knee infection and spent the night in hospital. Scotty Cam called in some extra painting help for Tayla, while the rest of the teams raced to finish some of the largest spaces they’ve tackled so far.
There was happier news too, with foreman Dan Reilly and Dani Wales welcoming their baby boy, Fletcher James Riley. And because apparently a quarter-of-a-million-dollar prize wasn’t enough, Scotty added an $80,000 Bar Crusher boat to the Plungie Prize package, pushing its total value beyond $250,000.
But the biggest talking point of reveal night remained those layouts. So, what exactly went wrong–and what would Darren have done differently? Here are all five living, dining and alfresco reveals, ranked from first to fifth, along with Darren’s exclusive take on the design decisions that left him seeing red.
Winners: Adam and Jolene
Their score: 27/30 🥇
After a brutal main ensuite week, Adam and Jolene finally got the win they desperately needed–and this room felt like a reminder of just how good they can be when everything comes together. The judges immediately responded to the warmth of the space, from the beautiful Christian Cole dining table to the fireplace, stone detailing and layered styling. Shaynna loved the huge mirror that made the space feel even larger and captured the gorgeous view from a different angle. Darren himself said the mirror was “genius.”
The room wasn’t without its problems. Darren questioned the orientation of the dining table and outside, the terrace felt a little undercooked compared with some of the other houses. A larger sofa would have better suited the scale of the space in a home at this price point; we’d also expect some kind of barbecue or outdoor cooking setup.
Details we love…
The Christian Cole dining table is a beautiful statement piece. And large enough to entertain big groups.
Details we’d change…
The alfresco needed more. With a terrace and outlook like this, we’d want a generous outdoor sofa and barbecue to make it a true extension of the living space.
Home Beautiful rating: ★★★★
Second: Lisa and Rosco
Their score: 26/30 🥈
What a comeback. After landing at the bottom of the leaderboard during main ensuite week, Lisa and Rosco were only one point away from winning this week.
Inside, the judges weren’t completely convinced by the proportions. The dining area felt undersized for a house of this scale and the furniture placement once again failed to make the most of that all-important outlook. But aesthetically, there was plenty to like. Their soft colour palette felt warm and considered, while the fireplace helped anchor the enormous open-plan room.
Then the judges stepped outside. Lisa and Rosco’s alfresco was divided into distinct cooking, dining and lounging zones, turning what could easily have become one giant expanse of outdoor furniture into somewhere you’d genuinely want to spend all afternoon. Marty went as far as calling it the best they’d seen all afternoon.
Details we love…
The alfresco zoning. Creating separate areas for cooking, eating and relaxing makes the terrace feel like another proper living space rather than an afterthought.
Details we’d change…
We’d rethink the dining proportions and furniture orientation inside.
Home Beautiful rating: ★★★★
Third: Courtney and Sev
Their score: 22.5/30 🥉
The girls may have placed third overall, but they arguably delivered the alfresco of the day. Their outdoor layout was so successful that the judges were compelled to actually sit down and take in the treetop outlook–which feels like a pretty good test of whether an outdoor living area works.
Inside was a different story. Courtney and Sev chose what they described as a “quiet luxury” approach and, with their budget rapidly disappearing, made the decision not to include a fireplace.
While there’s nothing inherently wrong with designing a living room around a television–most of us to watch one, after all–the judges felt that, in a multi-million-dollar Mount Eliza property with sweeping ocean views, the TV had been given prime position at the expense of something far more special.
Darren was particularly frustrated by the layout: “I feel like I’m taking crazy pills! I don’t understand how you can be gifted the best opportunity of any Block that we’ve ever had in 22 seasons, which is ‘outlooks to ocean’, and then think: ‘I’m going to make everything about a television!'”
We asked him to comment further:
“You can buy a TV and put it in any house. You can literally only buy these views from houses that have them available. Orienting a room toward a TV rather than the view misses the unique opportunity these houses present.”
DARREN PALMER, THE BLOCK JUDGE
Details we love…
A terrace that unapologetically celebrates its surroundings.
Details we’d change…
We’d apply the same thinking indoors. The television doesn’t need to be the hero when Mother Nature has provided so much more.
Home Beautiful rating: ★★★
Fourth: Rick and Tayla
Their score: 22/30
This was an enormous week for Rick and Tayla in more ways than one. Rick was ordered off sit after a knee infection required antibiotics and an overnight hospital stay, leaving Tayla to push towards reveal with some emergency painting assistance organised by Scotty. Considering the circumstances, what they delivered was impressive.
There were plenty of individual elements the judges liked, however, Marty did say the fireplace looked like a pizza oven.
Their alfresco came complete with an outdoor sink, premium barbecue and–because why not?–Tayla’s slushie machine. It’s fun, memorable and the kind of inclusion buyers might remember. Unfortunately, the same furniture-placement problem struck again.
Darren was particularly frustrated that the scale and outlook weren’t being maximised by the layout. There were good pieces in the room, but they weren’t necessarily working together to create the best experience.
Details we love…
The alfresco has personality. A proper barbecue, outdoor sink and bar-style additions make it feel ready for entertaining.
Details we’d change…
The furniture layout. With this much space and such a beautiful outlook, we’d create a much stronger conversation zone that makes the view part of the room.
Home Beautiful rating: ★★★
Fifth: Chantel and Wyatt
Their score: 19.5/30
Ouch.
After finishing second during main ensuite week, Chantel and Wyatt came crashing back down to earth with a living space the judges found cold, empty and far too vanilla for a home at this price point. And this time, “vanilla” wasn’t referring simply to their colour palette.
The problem was that the room didn’t feel aspirational enough. Shaynna wasn’t impressed by the carnations or the overall lack of sophistication, while Marty pointed out one fairly major design problem: every lounge faced away from the view. “I thought I was bored in the ensuite last week,” she said. “Here, I need a defibrillator. This is dead.”
It got worse: “This is the most boring execution I’ve seen of a multi-million-dollar house to try and sell a dream.”
Darren agreed that the entire orientation needed reconsidering, suggesting the television and furniture layout should have been flipped. He explained further to us how badly they went wrong:
“In house 2 the location of the TV and fireplace wall doesn’t allow the room to be reconfigured for the view, but with the other houses, simply flipping or rotating the furniture would suffice for everyday practicality and flow.”
Their terrace dining table was also a hit with the judges. But styling a multi-million-dollar home isn’t simply about filling a room with expensive things. It needs to sell a lifestyle–and this week, the judges weren’t buying it.
Details we love…
The alfresco dining table was a strong choice.
Details we’d change…
Almost everything should have been oriented towards the outlook. We’d also layer in more personality.
Home Beautiful rating: ★★
In case you missed it…
Week 3: Main bedroom & walk-in wardrobe
Week 5: Living,dining & alfresco terrace
Week 6: Guest suite (bedroom & ensuite)
Week 7: Kitchen, pantry, WC & lift
Week 8: Rumpus & laundry
Week 9: Kids’ bedrooms
Week 10: Outdoor terrace & pool
Week 11: Backyard & garage
Week 12: Front yard & facade
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