Last night the judges arrived at Leigh and Kristie’s Mornington Peninsula home in Victoria where teams had transformed their run-down beach shack into a California-cool styled retreat. In the biggest home in House Rules history, the judges saw some of the most impressive rooms yet, with ‘earthy’ materials used throughout.
| House Rules | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rule 1 | Chill out with “California Cool” style | ||||||
| Rule 2 | Get earthy with copper, timber, limestone and concrete | ||||||
| Rule 3 | Deck out the entry hall like a luxury yacht | ||||||
| Rule 4 | Be bright in the family bathroom and laundry | ||||||
| Rule 5 | Make the master suite a flowing coastal retreat | ||||||
| Bonus Room Rule | Give us a luxe surfie crash pad | ||||||
QLD Josh & Brandon: (Entry, loungeroom and powder room)
· Entry: The judges loved it. Wendy said it was “such a great idea” and Drew liked that “the boys have come out and shown the skills that they have”.
· Loungeroom: The fireplace was a hit but they didn’t like the artwork, Drew said “it takes the calmness away,” and LLB thought it was “too frisky”.
· Powder room: Overall it was average.
Score 26/30
NSW Kim & Michelle: (Hallway, walk-in-robe and bathroom)
· Hallway: Wendy: “This is a tragedy… I think they’ve completely lost the plot in here and I just want to get out…”. The statement piece was “very badly done” and should have been suspended.
· Walk-in-robe: It was “boring”. LLB said, “This could have been Armani, but actually it’s charity shop.”
· Bathroom: It was a success. LLB loved the neutral tones and thought the recess was “innovative… It’s got a wonderful, boutique hotel sexiness to it”.
Score 18/30
NSW Toad & Mandy: (Laundry and den)
· Laundry: Wendy thought it was “super functional,” but LLB couldn’t get on board with the multi-coloured tiles saying, “It’s kind of like seeing someone in a quiet, tailored suit wearing a funny hat.”
· Den: The wallpaper was the standout hit. LLB liked “the way they’ve ticked the ‘California cool’ into, boutique LA hotel”. Wendy liked the coffee table statement piece, LLB and Drew didn’t.
Score 22/30
SA Jess & Jared: (Kitchen and Kobe’s bedroom)
· Kitchen: It was an amazing kitchen! But the judges were not impressed with Jared’s poorly executed limestone feature wall.
· Kobe’s bedroom: LLB loved it: “This is terribly clever decorating… what Jess and Jared have done is taken the essence of what skateboarding is about and used it as design.” Wendy said, “He’s [Kobe] going to love this for years”.
Score 23/30
WA Chiara & David: (Dining room and master bedroom)
· Dining room: The judges all agreed the table was too small for the space. LLB thought the styling was Caribbean, not ‘California cool’, due to the “rubbed green”.
· Master bedroom: The judges loved it, especially the real timber used behind the bed. LLB said, “there’s kind of a can-do, why-not attitude to the way that they decorate which I find very, very exciting”.
Score 22/30
QLD Mel & Dave: (Billie’s bedroom, ensuite and bonus room)
· Billie’s bedroom: LLB loved it: “This is where I always think we should be with children’s rooms. Let’s create spaces that are perfectly designed in which children can play.” Drew disagreed as he didn’t deem a shop-themed room appropriate for a kids’ bedroom. He said, “It’s madly perfect, but somehow flawed. It’s quite over the top… that just seems a little bit crazy for a kid’s bedroom. I don’t agree with you on the flexibility of it.”
· Ensuite: Wendy called it “genius” and LLB “show stopping… this is one of the most exciting bathrooms that we’ve seen”. However, Drew thought the toilet was inappropriately placed.
· ‘Luxe-surfy crash pad’ bonus room: It was a good room, but had “all the clichés you would expect,” according to LLB. The judges deemed it as “subtle and safe”, but nothing special.
Score 24/30
Update June 12 VIC team Leigh and Kristie returned to their Mornington Peninsula home where the teams had transformed their mammoth-sized property into a ‘California-cool’ styled retrea
QLD Josh & Brandon: (Entry, loungeroom and powder room)
· Entry: They loved it. Kristie said the leather seat was “breathtaking, you nailed it,” but Leigh questioned why there was no storage beneath it.
· Loungeroom: Kristie was crying tears of joy: “That loungeroom took my breath away. You finished that fireplace better than we could.”
· Powder room: They loved the statement piece! Kristie: “It’s raw, it’s beautiful. It’s perfection to fit in here. If that was presented like that [in statement piece competition] I probably would have picked it as the winner.”
SCORE 9/10
SA Jess & Jared: (Kitchen and Kobe’s bedroom)
· Kitchen: They loved the timber and stone benchtop. Leigh liked the limestone feature wall but “I just wish it went the whole way up,” instead of the wood cladding.
· Kobe’s bedroom: The skate theme was great, but the quarter pipe in the room was unsafe. Kristie wanted more storage in the wardrobe.
SCORE 8/10
NSW Kim & Michelle: (Hallway, walk-in-robe and bathroom)
· Hallway: Leigh said, “It feels a bit bland, bare… not painted well… They’ve definitely struggled in here.”
· Walk-in-robe: Kristie was amazed and said “I feel like I’m in Hollywood… what a girls’ dream”.
· Bathroom: They loved how huge it was. Kristie thought it was “really coastal, California”, but Leigh felt like the four different tile types was too much. “I’m not being ungrateful but I don’t like the tile,” he said.
SCORE 7/10
NSW Toad & Mandy: (Laundry and den)
· Laundry: Kristie loved the “funky” tiles and how much storage there was. But she thought the room might not have been big enough for a family of four.
· Den: Kristie was “absolutely blown away… the timber shelves, the limestone, it was coastal with a bit of punch… I feel like I’m relaxed in here. It’s like a retreat”. Leigh thought the styling was “next level. It looks like it should be in a magazine, or something.” It hit the California-cool house rule.
SCORE 9/10
WA Chiara & David: (Dining room and master bedroom)
· Dining room: The stone wall was a hit, but they thought the styling was too ‘Bali’ and not ‘California-cool’.
· Master bedroom: Kristie was impressed with the timber feature wall, it was “gorgeous”. But overall they thought the room was a bit ‘glam’ for them.
SCORE 7/10
QLD Mel & Dave: (Billie’s bedroom, ensuite and bonus room)
· Billie’s bedroom: Billie loved her room. Kristie said, “… it’s a dream bedroom. I couldn’t fault it. The colour pallet was stunning.”
· Ensuite: Kristie said, “This is exactly how I pictured California… I walked in there and it was so light and white”. Besides Leigh wanting a double vanity, he liked everything else.
· ‘Luxe-surfy crash pad’ bonus room: They both liked it. Leigh thought the “statement piece was awesome. [The room had] such a good little vibe feeling with the barrel on the wall. We like how you exposed the ceiling.” Their only critique was no lights on the ceiling and not enough storage.
SCORE 9/10 + 5 POINTS FOR BONUS ROOM
With all that tallied up the leaderboard looks like this
