Another mammoth week on The Block NZ saw the teams up against supply issues, budget concerns and the fear of potentially leaving the task of effectively creating three rooms in one incomplete. But against the odds, all four teams churned out soothing master bedroom suites, with adjoining luxurious ensuites and walk-in wardrobes.
In this week's master bedrooms we saw feature walls, cosy furnishings, soft lighting and stunning bathroom design calls that once again led to an extremely tight judging — and yes, another cliffhanger result.
In a busy family home, the master bedroom and ensuite are sanctuaries for rest and relaxation. Newshub spoke to the experts at Resene, The Tile Depot and Lighting Direct to find out how to bring this week's style trends into our own homes.
Keep it cosy and comforting
Judge Jason Bonham was thrilled to see all the teams use colour in their master bedrooms this week, particularly the soft Resene shades used by Orange Team Quinn and Ben, and Yellow Team Maree and James.
Resene Marketing Manager Karen Warman says comforting hues in master bedrooms palettes are key.
"Colour palettes have definitely turned to very comforting hues – deep blues, deep charcoals and in particular, the growth of very deep greens and turquoise with hues like Resene Indian Ink, Resene Nocturnal and Resene Deep Teal," she said. "All of these hues bring a cave-like sense of comfort to a bedroom — like you are hunkering into a safe environment that is nestled around you."
For those looking for something a little lighter, Warman recommends dusted hues like Resene Robin Egg Blue from the Karen Walker Paints collection, Resene Dusted Blue and Resene Half Soothe.
"These soft hues have a weathered hazy edge to them which helps them feel relaxed."
Of course, as any bedtime book lover knows, the key to creating a soothing space is the lighting. Soft lamp light, luxurious pendants and recessed lighting are all great options available at Lighting Direct to create a brilliant soothing sanctuary. Both the Orange Team and Purple Team impressed judges by hanging suspended DIXON Pendants above the bedside tables, leaving more room for important storage solutions.
Putting thought behind the little practicalities when designing your master bedroom lighting plan, as Quinn and Ben did when installing their light switches into their plush headboard, can make all the difference in elevating a space.
Innovative lighting fixtures, such as backlit mirrors can transform a dull bedroom nook or wardrobe into lively practical spaces. The LEDLux Halo Mirror Light from Lighting Direct includes a dimmer function to help employ a cohesive level of lighting across the room, no matter your mood.
Make a feature of it
Warman says the "sky's the limit" when it comes to master bedroom design choices, as it's a private part of the house where decorators can indulge exciting and unique ideas.
She says decorative wall panelling has been a huge trend coming through, as Chloe and Ben executed in their master bedroom and walk-in wardrobe this week.
"Decorating wall panelling has been a huge area of growth for bedrooms, with decorative wall panelling laid in every which direction using traditional layouts through to very modern ones," says Warman.
"Wall panelling is usually used on the wall behind the bed as the main feature in the space."
She also recommends Resene wallpaper as a quick and easy way to add design and colour.
"You can use it on all walls or just as a feature behind the bed – both options are popular and it really comes down to whether you want to fully embrace your chosen wallpaper or whether you would like to have block colour alongside your wallpaper," she says.
"Often those new to wallpaper will choose a feature wall first and as they get more confident, will start to wallpaper whole rooms."
Let it flow through
Both experts from Resene and The Tile Depot encourage the use of colour in ensuites, taking merely practical spaces into a point of interest.
Warman says that while ensuites in the past have often just been "white on white", these days they are now being treated as more of an extension of the bedroom — as we saw Quinn and Ben's 'Spanish style' peach and green master bedroom and ensuite this week. The judges praised its "lovely reflective element" when looking through to the master bedroom.
"This doesn't mean you need to use the exact same colour for both. One alternative is to choose a lighter or darker version of your bedroom colour to finish your ensuite, so that when you look from one to the other you can see a progression of the same colour," says Warman.
"You might choose to use the darker colour in your master bedroom as a more cocooning colour and use the lighter colour in your ensuite for a fresher feel. Or if your ensuite is very bright, a darker colour can help to lessen the glare.
The Tile Depot's Head of Design Karen Syddall agrees, telling Newshub that while clients have erred on the side of lighter tiles for bathrooms, there is an increased movement towards darker and moodier spaces.
"Lighter colours will make a space seem brighter and more spacious, darker colours can add depth, comfort and luxe," she said.
Play with contrast
As we saw in family bathroom week, many of the teams used small format tiles alongside larger ones this week to add texture and depth to their ensuites.
Maree and James were praised for their large palazzo tiles (Frammenta Bianco) offset by a subway tile (Tribeca Oatmeal) on their walls, while Quinn and Ben received points for creating texture with their beautifully finished, small format tiles on their floors (Argile Cotto) and Sticks White Mosaics on their walls.
Syddall said they're seeing a trend towards smaller format tiles in ensuites, paired with large format stone-effect porcelain tiles like terrazzo, limestone, marble, granite etc.
"Finger mosaics and handmade effect tiles are adding colour and texture to the walls and the demand for subway tiles also continues," she said.
Judge Shelley Ferguson was particularly impressed with Stacy and Adam's non-traditional arrangement of basketweave subway tiles to create texture.
Syddall says smaller tiles give the opportunity for some creative installations and add a textural element to the space, especially in curved areas like we saw in Chloe and Ben's feature curved wall in their ensuite.
"With the return of the curve, curved walls and archways, smaller tiles, particularly the finger tiles, can wrap around those curves in a delightful way," said Syddall.
Colour combos to kick things off
Keen to get started on creating your dream master bedroom, but not sure where to begin? Resene expert Karen Warman has put together some of her favourite Resene colour combos to help get you started!
Resene Half Inside Back with Resene Half Black White
Resene Raven with trims in Resene Black
Resene Half Duck Egg Blue with Resene Alabaster
Resene Half Beryl Green with Resene Half Rice Cake
This article was created for Resene, The Tile Depot and Lighting Direct.
