The Block 2024: All rooms of the season revealed

The block is back in 2024 and in its momentous 20^th This year, five Blockhead couples were commissioned to transform an abandoned resort in regional Victoria into luxury holiday homes for families.

Set against the picturesque backdrop of Phillip Island, the popular television show, contestants will have their hands full as they attempt to bring five residences at 113-119 Justice Road in Cowes to life.

Host Scott Cam is back for his 18th season, while judges Darren Palmer, Shaynna Blaze and Marty Fox once again lead the weekly room judging, and with five artisans among the Blockheads this year, expectations are high.

Veteran judge Neale Whitaker has stepped away from judging this season, but will make a special guest appearance.

Week 2: Guest room

For the Blockheads, guest room week couldn’t start soon enough, marking the end of their tent city, an outdoor camping quarters, and the design of the rooms they will live in during construction.

The jury stated that three of the five teams had perfected their design, but warned that the remaining two teams were in danger of falling behind.

Marty admitted that this was an early assessment, but he went even further and identified a team that could be “extremely difficult to beat” if they continue on their current trajectory.

The prize was $10,000 and a short vacation with Scott Cam. Only half a point separated the winning team from second place.

House 1: Reveal of Jesse and Paige’s guest room

Score: 27

After Darren was left confused by the unfinished bathroom last week, the guest room was a classic yet cool change of pace.

All three judges felt that Paige and Jesse had done just the right thing this week, and were particularly impressed with their choice of wallpaper, artwork and wardrobe.

Although Shaynna identified the space with a modern colonial theme, she said they had perfected their style and if they maintained that look consistently throughout, it would be a stunning home.

“I came in here and really felt at home. I just want to jump into this bed like they did,” Marty said.

House 2: Reveal of Courtney and Grant’s guest room

Score: 27.5

When designing a themed children’s room, all three judges liked the choice of colors, the execution and the style.

Marty admitted that he couldn’t praise the room enough.

“I can imagine my daughter running in here, playing, running around and sitting in the little painting corner,” he said.

“And these guys know what they’re doing. There are no downlights. It’s nice and quiet. The accent lighting, the mood lighting, everything is flawless.”

While Darren described the room as “cute as can be,” he did spot one tiny flaw – the positioning of a doorstop that posed a risk of breaking someone’s toe.

House 3: Ricky and Haydn’s guest room revealed

Score: 22

While the graphic world map print on the closet doors was praised as appropriate for the children’s room of a holiday home, the room layout and the orientation of the bunk bed received some criticism.

Marty also took issue with the rough ceiling painting, while Shaynna felt uncomfortable entering the room.

“When you come in, you trip over the beanbag,” she said.

“The door doesn’t close. The plaster is a problem. This feels like renovating a house on Phillip Island.”

Darren, on the other hand, had no issues with the room and said he liked the bunk beds and the color palette.

“I don’t even mind the layout of the room. There’s plenty of room to get to the robes,” he said.

Marty said there were no major problems from a real estate perspective, but it was a “flat room.”

House 4: Kylie and Brad’s guest room is revealed

Score: 22

“Once again at odds with his position” was Darren’s summary of Kylie and Brad’s efforts.

“I feel like they just put things in there just to make it look like it was a trick,” he said.

“But I don’t think it works in this environment. I feel like this space doesn’t belong here.”

Shaynna agreed and said it felt like Art Deco, but it didn’t work.

Marty disagreed: “This is palatable. This is marketable. If you let 10 buyers walk through this room, you don’t have the same shock that at least half of them get that we had last week, which I think was a problem.”

He said the basic design of the room was great and he was glad that it didn’t feel as intense, old-fashioned and nightclub-like as last week’s effort.

House 5: Unveiling of Kristian and Mimi’s guest room

For the second time in a row, the duo secured the overall victory, again beating Courtney and Grant by half a point.

Shaynna described the place as a “boutique beach hotel,” while Marty already made a prediction, saying that Mimi and Kristian are the team that will be extremely difficult to beat.

“I say it’s early because the way they design it, the way they execute it, the craftsmanship. There’s hardly anything wrong with that,” he said.

Darren praised the effort and money that went into the finer details.

“And these are the things that take a house from good to great,” he said.

Week 1: Guest bathroom

In the first week, the Blockheads were thrown straight into the deep end with the task of building a bathroom and in true Block fashion, there was no drama with a sweltering heatwave, an unfinished room and the arrival of a Block baby to round out the first week.

House 1: Unveiling Jesse and Paige’s guest bathroom

While Shaynna liked the duo’s choice of materials, including brushed chrome, she said the unfinished room with its unfinished tiles showed that the couple were overambitious in attempting to install floor-to-ceiling tiles in less than a week.

Marty was less forgiving: “There’s a little bit of a squabble in this team, and if I don’t finish a room, I don’t think that’s an excuse if other teams finished this week and this team didn’t. I can only afford very, very few mistakes,” he said.

The interestingly shaped space was a tricky task, Darren noted, as it was busy and “felt a little hectic”.

House 2: Courtney and Grant Unveiling the guest bathroom

Shaynna and Marty disagreed about the design and aesthetic of the bathroom, and Shaynna wanted more drama.

“I want people to really go for it this year. It’s a vacation spot. This is not about safety,” she said.

“These are people who come on holiday and want to be wowed… I love the neutral palette, that’s the only hero, but you can go further – you really can.”

However, Marty said the style was appropriate and could work in other Melbourne suburbs, such as Albert Park, and would suit the needs of a Melbourne buyer.

“Any buyer who sees an increase in value here will definitely snap it up,” he said.

Darren agreed with both judges: “I think drama is really important in holiday homes. The Instagram ability helps you market them in terms of getting people to come and stay,” he said.

House 3: Ricky and Haydn Unveiling the guest bathroom

Although a man was missing and Haydn left the island for the birth of his first child, the jurors praised the floor plan and layout.

However, Shaynna said that the lines of the tiles, paneling, bathtub and vanity were purely for effect and needed to be designed “slower” and that the color palette didn’t fit.

Darren said the couple’s efforts were a “damn good start”.

“I mean, this is an insane swim. The hardest swim of the first week ever, in the hardest place in 20 years,” he said.

House 4: Kylie and Brad Unveiling the guest bathroom

Score: 22

Both Marty and Shaynna stated that the all-black room “grabbed” them, but Marty did so for the wrong reasons.

Darren said if the dark palette had marked the starting point of a “black cabin” that would have been great, but the herringbone tiles above the vanity would have devalued the room and a bathtub would have been necessary.

Marty had little positive feedback, saying, “The only thing I like about this room is the skylight because when I look up, I don’t have to see anything else in this room.”

He said the house would need to appeal to the masses if it was to sell for more than double the average selling price on Phillip Island.

“I think it has to feel relaxing, coastal, and like a getaway. That’s intense. That’s dark. If they continue that theme in the other rooms, it’s potentially going to be the biggest disaster we’ve seen in 20 seasons.”

House 5: Kristian and Mimi’s guest bathroom revealed

Score: 28.5

The judges praised the efforts of the newlywed team, who won Bathroom Week by half a point.

“This is really a real family bathroom where we don’t feel like we’re on each other’s heels,” Marty said.

Darren described the space as a great success and said he particularly liked the beautiful materials used, particularly the floor tiles.

Shaynna was impressed by the balance between tone and texture and felt the “watery tiles” reflected the Philip Island location.