The Block Villa Wars | Master Bedroom & Ensuite Reveal

Sunday on The Block Villa Wars was time to unveil the finished master bedrooms and ensuites, although only two out of the four teams managed to finish. A pay dispute between Cat and Mitch and their tiler put their ensuite behind, and they had to present their bathroom without grout or silicone. Money troubles and Hayden's health made for another difficult week for Jamie and Hayden, and in stark contrast Brooke and Mitch made Block NZ history to win three rooms in a row.

Brooke and Mitch: 1st place | 17.5 points

Sticking with their wining formula, Brooke and Mitch continued with Dulux Manorburn on the walls. What they do so well is produce a high quality finish, and that will impress potential buyers.

The brief was "loud and audacious" - this (in my opinion) is an odd theme for a bedroom which is often used as a peaceful retreat. Brooke and Mitch pushed the boundaries on their normal monotone colour palette to include splashes of mustard, and it was enough to impress the judges. I did like their long, built-in bedsides, but it does limit future owners to the size of their bed.

The size, practicalities, and finishes in the bathroom were fantastic, and once again, Mitch's plumbing skills were most handy, but I just don't love it. It's clean and practical, but unfortunately neither of these rooms excite me.

Sarah and Minanne: 2nd place | 16.5 points

I would've loved Sarah and Minanne to win this week (we know they could use a win!). Their bathroom was my favourite, and while their master bedroom wasn't perfect, it's miles better than some of their previous rooms. I also love their colour palette with a base of Dulux Spirits Bay Double layered with white, warm wood and blush pink.

It's not loud and audacious, which may have lost them points, but can I say again that calm and restful is so much nicer for a master bedroom.

The girls bathroom is beautiful, but I am a big fan of marble and I know some are not. It ties in beautifully with their black marble bathroom in week 3. Everything is kept quite simple allowing the marble to be the hero, I like their choices, their layout and placement, and their refined styling.

Cat and Jeremy: 3rd place | 15 points

With an unfinished ensuite Cat and Jeremy knew they couldn't win this week, but I still prefer their rooms to Brooke and Mitch's. Their master bedroom was reminiscent of their first bedroom in week 1 that gave them a win.

After being slammed for their choice of wall colour last week, the couple were smart enough to take their queue from interior designer and judge, Jason Bonham's website. They selected a soft grey Dulux Aniwaniwa, which I love.

There are some nice things happening in Cat and Jeremy's bathroom too. The round mirror and basins help to soften the square lines of the vanity. I love the matt black accessories and the little plant corner down by the toilet.

Jamie and Hayden: 4th place | 6.5 points

Such a hard week for these guys. It was nice to see them win the challenge to turn junk into a house gift for one of their neighbours, but not much else went their way. Hayden was sick, which left Jamie to do a lot of the work (I think she is amazing, don't you?). She has supported Hayden's bold decisions to put black carpet throughout their home and on most of the walls, but, although very loud and audacious, it's not favoured by the judges.

I do worry it will polarise them come auction day - people are either going to love it or hate it, which may reduce the amount of people wanting to buy the house. Dark rooms can be cosy and intimate, but it needed more sumptuous texture and a feeling of elegance. Instead the furniture and accessories made it feel a bit cheap - I know it's hard for them when they don't have the money to spend, they really need a win!

Unfortunately the bathroom was a bit lack lustre for me as well. It was OK, but bathrooms and kitchens are what sell houses, so they really needed some wow factor.

The first couple of episodes this week have produced some drama with dirty tactics sneaking in. I'm interested to see how this plays out and to see if anyone can knock Brooke and Mitch off the winning podium. Pop over to TV3 to check out more.

The Block Villa Wars | Living Room Reveal

You would think, after bathroom week, that creating a living room would be a piece of cake, but nothing is easy on The Block Villa Wars. The contestants had a busy week with the return of "dinner wars" as well as renovating their room. At stake was the sought-after prize of a team of professional painters to paint the exterior of the winner's house. The couples scored each other's dinner experiences very fairly (with, surprisingly, no nasty scores) and that led to Cat and Jeremy taking it out. But the week was to belong to Brooke and Mitch who won two weeks in a row with their light and airy living room.

Brooke and Mitch: 1st place | 16 points

Although Brooke and Mitch have played it very safe, what they have done is created a beautiful base that could easily be added to and enhanced further. Dulux Manorburn, a cool grey-white teamed with soft grey curtains from James Dunlop are warmed up by the lovely floorboards. I would've loved to have seen the curtains taken right up to the ceiling for a more sophisticated look though.

A David Trubridge Floral light is a great feature, but I have to say that I'm a little bit underwhelmed by the rest of the decorating. It's nice, but a little 'ho hum'. As I've said in previous posts, it feels like it needs another layer of personality.

The stone fireplace is stunning and another beautiful feature. This will be a real draw card for buyers.

Cat and Jeremy: 2nd place | 14 1/2 points

With their lowest score so far, I have to agree that it's not their best room. The wall colour, Dulux Pukehina, was criticised by the judges as well as the other contestants. I do applaud Cat for stepping outside the box, but it was risky doing the main living area in a peachy tone. We have used Resene Sakura before, which is a gorgeous peach blossom pink, and has a bit more depth than Cat's choice.

The room doesn't seem to have a 'hero' piece, there is a lot going on but no strong focus, although I like the choice of cushions and the window seat, and the nesting tables.

Unfortunately the fireplace isn't as slick as Brooke and Mitch's. Let's hope these guys can get their mojo back for master bedroom and ensuite week.

Jaime and Hayden: 3rd place | 13 1/2 points

Once again Jaime and Hayden didn't quite finish their area, and failure to complete one of the basic tasks (to insulate their ceiling) lost them a point. They continued with their strong black and white theme creating a dark media room next to a light, bright living room.

A beautiful parquetry feature wall by Martin the builder is impressive. The led backlit TV is also a feature, although, to me, the TV looks a bit lost in the big space. I know if it was larger you wouldn't see as much of the parquetry, which is far nicer to look at, but it is a media room, so the television is key.

The white room is OK, but I want more! Where are the beautiful big rugs and artworks? I'm not usually a huge fan of leather sofas, but the Freedom Atlas sofa is quite cool. The dark blinds don't work for me though, there is enough contrast with the walls and the carpet, I would've kept the window treatments light, or added some colour and pattern in with roman blinds.

Sarah and Minanne: 4th place | 11 points

The judges were scathing with their comments about the girls' living areas saying they felt cold and incomplete. I think their lack of wins and money means the girls have had to spread themselves a bit thinly. I actually really like Minanne's choice of the Dahlia sofa and Wing chair from Freedom, and their artwork above the fireplace. The colour palette is quite lovely too. But their finishings let them down with shoddy paintwork, and the placement of the pendants was an odd choice. Lighting should be either task eg: next to seating for reading, or mood lighting - those lights are neither.

The second room with the leather sofas was described as a waiting room, and that is what it looks like - there is no soul or personality in there. Perhaps it would've helped if they'd styled some pieces in the recessed boxes, and the room definitely needed a large rug (much bigger than the next door room's rug) and a large piece of art on the wall.

All that said, these rooms are easily fixed, they just need finishing off. I think Sarah and Minanne were harshly scored in comparison to the other contestants for this week.

All the teams are learning and improving (on the most part), so let's hope someone does something to knock our designer socks off with their master bedroom and ensuite.

Back To The Wall

Today I wanted to share with you the most amazing design company, Back To The Wall. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, they produce custom designed wallpaper murals for your home, office or commercial space.

With over 30 years experience in the print industry, owners and designers, Relda Frogley (below left) and Joanne Gray (below right) are passionate about all of their work. They design and print their murals on site, allowing them full control every step of the way.

The beauty of Back To The Wall is that you can tell Joanne and Relda the size of your wall and they will print your mural to fit exactly, so you're not paying for any excess. Printing their paper at 100cm widths (as opposed to standard wallpaper widths of 50-60cm) means you don't have as many joins, and they specialise in beautiful oversized images rather than repeat patterns.

There's a huge range of pre-designed murals and art prints to choose from. Email Joanne and Relda with your design choice and size requirements and they will provide you with a quote. The murals are easy to install yourself, or you can hire a professional wallpaper hanger to do the job.

If you want to customise a mural, that's not a problem. Jo is incredibly clever working with Photoshop, and she can tweak their existing designs, and alter colours to suit. Or perhaps you have a completely different vision in mind, discuss your ideas with the girls and they can help you with your own unique design.

There's something for everyone including a gorgeous range of kids' murals...

And beautiful work by contributing artists, Helen Bankers and Diana Watson.

Lastly, just in case you're not already totally inspired (I know I am!), your wallpaper doesn't need to be confined to the wall. Relda and Jo can create smaller pieces of art for the back of shelves, the front of your stairs, cabinet doors... let your imagination run wild!