A heart-warming start to tonight’s episode of The Block was a glimpse into Brad and Lara’s special day. After seven years, the 2012 winners tied the not at their stunning Hunter Valley vineyard which they purchased with their winnings. An uncommon sight on The Block, both Brad and Dale spruced themselves, sporting suites and manicured hair-do’s (as well as beards, in Dale’s case). But with the good comes the bad on The Block, and only a day after the nuptials, the contestants were given one of their hardest challenges to date – redecorate a hotel suite at the historic The Vincent hotel in Albert Park, Melbourne.
A supposed “wedding present” from Scotty and Shelley, the contestants were shown an array of expensive paintings from MARS Gallery in which the two teams (Fans and Faves) chose two artworks each as their inspiration for their suites. Competing to take home the $5000 artwork to use in their apartments, the teams began brainstorming, and fast with only 14 hours on the clock!
Now, even if you have just watched one episode of The Block who would know that Kara and Chantelle have very different opinions and even more disparate styles. So after flipping a coin to decide the artworks, bickering slightly about the room’s design and arguing over the bed head, the Fans came out with another win against the Faves, creating a contemporary room that still payed homage to the historic building surrounding it. As a result, each couple got to take home a $5000 Bill Sampson artwork, inevitable adding to the overall value of their apartments.
On the other hand, failing dismally, Neale Whitaker explained the Faves room saying, “What were they thinking? If Anne Judell is watching this she would be like no, that’s not the room I had in mind for my artwork … she would be pouring herself a stiff drink”. Instead of a charcoal grey, the paint for the walls was virtually black, causing the room to feel very claustrophobic. And the artwork was positioned way to high for it to be admired (or even seen!). TIP: Rule of thumb for hanging artwork is to place it at eye level so that the complexity, colours and textures can all be admired.
So after a turbulent hour, contestants are left behind schedule on their bathrooms, Chantelle and Kara haven’t decided on who gets what artwork, and Brad is stuck with one woman for the rest of his life … great night I say!