It was guest bedroom and bathroom week on The Block, which is probably unnecessary given future buyers will just be stripping out all the over-styled kids' rooms and throwing in neutral beige furniture and cream paintwork. But still, it was a chance for the teams to try and churn out a slightly classier product.
An added incentive was if they came in under budget they could win an extra $10,000, meaning all teams scrambled to get it done quick, clean and cheap this week.
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Stace and Yanita
The besties from Palmy had the goal to be done by 3pm on Friday, producing a result with "less mess, less stress and maybe a quiet drink". While that was lovely in theory, the girls faced a series of muck-ups and actually only just managed to scrape in with the finish.
In the face of an election change-up, many women in New Zeeland are thinking about the glass ceiling, but Stace and Yanita were more worried about their glass wall. They were convinced it would help them take out the win, despite the fact there was no hole for ventilation - a slightly important factor in a bathroom, me thinks?
Despite that, the girls managed to pull together a room that was straight-up beautiful. The duck-egg blue walls, grey Roman blinds, eclectic throw cushions - I loved it all. The dark feature wall was moody, the shelves beautifully crafted. I'm packing up and moving in on Monday.
The only quirks for me were the finishing (as per usual), and the artwork on the wall, which reminded me of when you accidently sneeze before you put a tampon in.
As for the bathroom, am I the only one getting sick of all these unfinished rooms? Come on guys and gals, you can't sell a half-finished house. This is getting ridiculous (she writes from her comfortable seat on the other side of the city, with no intention of ever giving this a go myself).
Julia and Ali
The twins suffered a few setbacks this week with delays and budget restrictions, and one of their doors getting pretty messed up. But hey, just chuck a massive mirror over it and solider on!
A real success was the twins' light box installation, which was very, very cool. Finally we can see they actually do do this for a living! In contrast, the duvet cover was one of the worst things I've ever seen. But I guess you can't have everything.
The bathroom, on the other hand, was spacious, pretty and a real sanctuary. But with a sink the approximate size of a swimming pool, where's a girl to spill her 1000 makeup items? On the floor?
Ling and Zing
After achieving the lowest score in Block history last week, the Christchurch brothers were determined to bounce back, despite having the "crookest budget" of all the teams. They found inspiration for their feature wall in "Ernest Rutherford splitting the atom" - a key factor of all design inspirations. They poured some blood, sweat and tears into the room - actual hard work. It paid off, with a well-orchestrated and FINISHED room.
The feature wall would have been pretty cool in 2006, and the colours were a lot, but, hey, at least it was a bit of fun, unlike the 50 Shades-themed master. The bathroom was also nice. It was all just really fine, apart from those green glass tiles, which were straight up hideous, and that tacky folded toilet paper.
Andy and Nate
The dads again hit this week like a bull out of the gate, with an idea for self-contained guest accommodation that proved to be an absolute winner. But running on no sleep rocked the usually unflappable lads, with even Nate saying, "I'm absolutely flipping my lid," about as worked up as I've ever seen him.
It pains me to say it, because I love them, and after meeting them last week I am even more enamoured, but I thought this room was stupid. The weird colour-blocking on the bed, with the matching flowers and bed blocking the balcony doors - none of it made sense to me.
The wee kitchen was a great call though, and who wouldn't want a tiny fridge in your room for when that craving for a 3am chilled sav hits? Just me?
The boys were a touch worried about their bathroom, given a niggly history, especially when it comes to tiles. But they needn't have worried - these oversized tiles looked incredible. It was the final cherry on top that got them the well-deserved win, and hopefully some sleep so they can freshen up their pretty faces.
The Block NZ airs Monday-Wednesday at 7:30pm and Sundays at 7pm on Three.
