PHOTO: The Victorian duo had a rocky start, losing their pick of house, but secured the best aspect. High ceilings and perfect furniture placement gave them the living and dining room win.
It’s arguably Melbourne’s most aspirational suburb – cafes, schools, the beach. Brighton has all of that for sure, but it’s the air of old-world grandeur that has many yearning to buy a piece.
It’s fitting then, that this year’s houses on The Block each come from a decade gone by, between 1910 and 1950, harking back to the suburb’s architectural and societal past.
This season’s couples were judged not only on their renovation and styling ability, but their appreciation of the era of each home, from the wartime 1910s to the modernist ’50s. Each nods (in some cases, with vigour) to the epoch, while keeping our 2020 lifestyle firmly in mind.
Just as well, too, as the way we live and work has turned on its head, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing Australia into lockdown and the couples to head home to their families mid-project.
“Getting shut down in the middle of the series really could have taken the wind out of the contestants’ sails completely,” The Block executive producer Julian Cress says.
He says the contestants returned with “sheer energy and a level of finesse and finish and joyfulness”, despite the angst of the pandemic.
“Getting shut down in the middle of the series really could have taken the wind out of the contestants’ sails completely,” The Block.
The five homes on New Street offer Brightonites, aspiring and existing, a piece of history. Not only of years gone by, but the one we have all lived through – with office spaces, of course – and areas to relax, take in nature and feel there’s no place like home.
Inside the houses
Jimmy & Tam
To say Palm Springs inspired this home is putting it mildly. Monochrome terrazzo tile is the first bit of ’50s wow-factor you notice when walking in – but then you look up.
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