Photography: The Block/Channel 9/9Now
The Block is back for another week, and this time the teams turned their attention to kids’ bedrooms – a space that calls for a careful balance of play and practicality. Unlike last week, where the teams were required to complete one room, this week saw the teams tackle two separate bedrooms – testing both their creativity and time management.
Seeing how the teams interpret the brief is always part of the fun, but this week, some of the designs left us questioning their choices. From bland palettes to adult styling, here are five things The Block teams got wrong about kids’ rooms.
In case you missed it…
What The Block teams got wrong about kids’ rooms
7 standout trends from The Block’s first bathroom reveals
Everything we know about The Block 2025 (so far)
5 fun facts you didn’t know about The Block 2025 teams
What The Block teams got wrong about kids’ bedrooms
1. Too much sad beige
This week, it was surprising to see a lack of colour in the kids’ bedrooms. However, we’d love to see teams move past the ‘sad beige’ aesthetic and the muted shades of the last decade towards a more vibrant palette.
The judges called out Robbie and Mat’s liberal use of beige in their kid bedrooms, with Marty even stating that the colour made the room feel like an ‘upmarket nursing home.’ Varying shades of beige also featured in Can and Han’s nursery, where a rather soulless white and grey ball pit was the cherry on top of what felt like a very Instagram-approved colour palette.
Despite these neutral shades once being favoured for their calming, minimalist aesthetic, the trend has shifted back to brighter, more colourful hues that bring more joy and playfulness to children’s spaces.
2. Why do kids’ rooms need TVs?
Both Emma and Ben, and Sonny and Alicia decided to put televisions in their kids’ bedrooms. While many kids would love to have a TV in their bedroom, research has shown that it’s not a good idea for children’s behaviour, health, or academic outcomes.
From a design viewpoint, the TVs also felt unnecessary and out of place. As Shaynna put it, “There’s nothing worse than a TV stuck on the wall that makes you feel like you’re in a really bad motel.”
Given the tight budgets, TVs seem like an odd splurge – especially when the money could have been used to add more practical storage, desks and reading nooks that look sweeter and better support a child’s learning and creativity.
3. Too grown up
Many of the rooms simply felt too grown up and missed the sense of magic that makes kids’ spaces so special. The judges called out both Sonny and Alicia, and Robbie and Mat for their overly mature designs, with Marty even quipping “I thought we were judging the kids’ room,” when judging Sonny and Alicia’s very stylish but rather mature teenage girl’s bedroom.
With such a magical country setting like Daylesford, it felt like the teams missed the opportunity to play with the Swallows and Amazons-type magic of it all. Things like bunk beds, cosy canopies, little binoculars and treasure-hunt maps could have captured that sense of childhood adventure – but instead, many of the rooms played it too safe and sophisticated.
The teams who performed the best were the ones who managed to inject a sense of playfulness into their spaces, such as week’s winners, Brit and Taz, who had a mini basketball hoop and bed-ends that doubled as soccer goals, and Emma and Ben, who had a little cubby and magical fairy pictures on the wall.
4. Lack of functionality
Another recurring theme in the children’s bedrooms was a lack of functionality. In Can and Han’s nursery, Shaynna pointed out that their pendant light was within reach of the baby’s cot.
They also opted for hardwood floors in their nursery – something that is perhaps better suited to older children, who would be running in with muddy football boots rather than a baby who would be crawling on the floor.
The judges pointed out that many of the rooms also struggled to position the beds in a way that didn’t impact the functionality of the Kinsman cupboards.
5. Gender stereotyped colours
It was surprising to see so many teams fall back on the traditional blue and pink colour combinations for their kids’ bedrooms, especially when designing a house that’s going straight to market.
The all-pink or all-blue rooms risk feeling too prescriptive, as though assuming the buyer will have a child of each gender. Even for those who don’t subscribe to traditional ideas about “girl” and “boy” colours, a very pink room is harder to adapt if your child isn’t into the colour.
Colours that don’t come with existing gender stereotypes tend to be a better choice, which is why Home Beautiful chose to go with a soft sage green in our sixth Block room. Shades like sage, butter yellow or even a lighter sky blue all bring a sense of playfulness to a room without boxing anyone in.
The Block 2025 kid’s bedrooms
Week two reveals, verdicts and scores from the judges.
House 1: Emma and Ben
Emma and Ben took inspiration from their own teenage years for their first kid’s bedroom, which featured a statement circular niche with built-in shelving, skateboard hooks and a timber bench seat. The judges were divided on the room, with Darren and Shaynna both being very impressed by the depth of colour, timber details and built-in niche but Marty not being a fan. “These pendants are really throwing the room. It’s got this fluorescent tone and it’s just not warm and cosy,” he said.
The second kid’s room, this time designed for a younger girl, was more to his taste. “This is a lot softer. A lot more Daylesford. Love the double beds, the colour…there’s a richness to the room.”
Emma and Ben didn’t get away with the wallpaper problem as much as they hoped, with the judges feeling that the timber panelling (only added due to a wallpaper measuring mistake) was unnecessary and “ruining how the room functions.”
Overall, Darren described the room as high-level, photographable, with beautiful proportions and gorgeous architectural details. “They really know what they’re doing and it shows” he said.
Score: 25 ½ / 30
House 2: Han and Can
For their children’s bedrooms, Han and Can decided to design one room for a baby and one room for an older child. For their nursery, the girls went for a contemporary style with a sculptural feature wall made up of layered arches and integrated lighting. While Marty thought their glamorous nursery was “really cool,” Shaynna wasn’t so sure.
“Love the cloud bed head, I think the arch is cute. I love the style of furniture. I adore this rug. Fun artwork but together it’s too much and it’s not functional,” Shaynna explained. “A baby is going to be standing up touching that light. A baby is not going to be drawing and it’s overwhelming.”
Going for hardwood floors instead of carpet also didn’t work in their favour, with Darren not convinced that the floors were the best decision for a baby’s room.
Han and Can’s second room, which was designed for an older child, featured a statement blue built-in bedhead nook – a detail that, according to the judges, didn’t pay off. This was mainly due to an error with crookedness. Despite this, Darren said the idea was still something to be commended on.
Score: 24/ 30
House 3: Britt and Taz (winners)
Britt and Taz’s children’s bedrooms won this week’s room reveals. Their first room was for an older child and featured a statement curved feature wall that represented the rolling hills of Daylesford. The room won all of the judges’ hearts, with even Marty complimenting the couple’s “artistic flair.” Shaynna also said the room achieved the right modern country look that they were looking for.
The judges were even more impressed with the couple’s second kid’s bedroom, which was designed for two younger children and featured gorgeous plaid wallpaper on two of the walls. Darren complimented the couple’s colour palette, describing it as “neutral but interesting.”
The judges also liked the room’s more playful features, such as the mini basketball hoop and bench seat soccer goals, with Marty explaining that it’s “full of whimsy and play, and the mood that you want to set with a kid’s room that doesn’t feel juvenile.” Marty also complimented the couple by comparing their style to Steph and Gian, before stating that it was his favourite room of the day.
Score: 28/ 30
House 4: Alicia and Sonny
Alicia and Sonny took inspiration from their own three children for their kids’ bedrooms, designing a room for a teenage girl and a room for two younger boys. For the boy’s bedroom, the couple took inspiration from the surrounding countryside and went with a luxurious equestrian theme and dark blue plaid wallpaper.
The room was a winner with Darren, who said “I am enamoured with everything I see on that wall and in front of it. That wallpaper is glorious. I love the gallery hang of these artworks.” Shaynna also loved the colour palette but wishes the colour extended to the other side of the room, where a TV hung.
“There’s nothing worse than a TV stuck on the wall that makes you feel like you’re in a really bad motel,” she commented.
The couple’s teenage girl’s bedroom was praised for its thoughtful use of colour, with soft pink walls paired with a playful pink plaid wallpaper behind the bed. “That’s the application of colour I was hoping to see next door,” Darren said as he walked in.
While the judges loved the room, they didn’t think that it necessarily felt like a kid’s bedroom, deciding that “it’s a solid room but not on brief.”
Score: 24 ½/ 30
House 5: Robbie and Mat
When planning their kids’ bedrooms, Robbie and Mat were initially concerned about incorporating their striped bedhead – a design that the judges hadn’t warmed to – into their space.
They got off to a promising start with their first bedroom, which was designed for two younger children. In this room, the judges appreciated the use of Hardie Groove panelling, describing it as bringing a “country and cosy,” vibe to the room. Unfortunately, Darren also noted that the difficulty of painting the grooves in the time frame slightly let them down.
The team’s second bedroom, however, wasn’t as well received, with Shaynna describing the very beige space as “the room that nan comes into when she looks after the kids.”
Marty suggested that they could have tied the bedhead into a more nautical look rather than leaning into a bland palette. “The fact that it’s beige actually doesn’t help it at all,” Darren said.
Score: 20 ½ / 30
All The Block room reveal images were originally published by Channel 9/9Now on nine.com.au.
House 6: Home Beautiful house
This year, Team Home Beautiful is playing along – and we’re unveiling our very own House 6.
For our turn at the kids’ bedroom week, the HB team took inspiration from the talented interior designer, Kate Walker and the beautiful kids’ bedroom she designed for this luxurious Mt Buller apartment. The warming sage green walls and fun, recessed bunk beds feel luxurious and a little magical, with the help of a sweet plaid carpet and an inviting upholstered window seat. How do you think we went?
Inspiration & mood board
Shop the products
- May Gibbs X Urban Road, Boronia Baby II framed print, $719 (usually $799), Freedom
- Hand loomed carpet in Vail Granite, KWD & Co
- Cohen armchair in Calais Ivory Contrast, $1600, Rachel Donath
- Ferm Living Dou lampshade 068 in Natural, $426.90, Design Stuff
- Alice Palmer linen frilly cushion in White, $270, Emporean
- Sanderson pinetum stripe fabric in Blue Clay for seat, $272 per metre, The Fabric Editors
- Sanderson truffle fabric in Blue Clay for blind, $272 per metre, The Fabric Editors
- Maisie scalloped bedside table in Sage Green, $130.49 (usually $144.99), Mocka
- Rattan strolley, $199, Oli Ella
- Agame dresser, $2199, Freedom
- Seek similar built-in wardrobe from Kinsman
Room reveal
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