The Block 2021 home tour: House 1 Ronnie & Georgia.
Following The Block’s final room reveals on Sunday, we take a tour of Ronnie and Georgia’s house, located at 2 Bronte Court, Hampton, Melbourne and listed for sale by Belle Property agents Jenny Dwyer and David Wood from Belle Property Sandringham.
Having previously competed on The Block in season 13, Ronnie and Georgia wanted to bring a different aesthetic to their build this year. "On our first season of The Block, we wanted to stick to our design aesthetic, something that was really us. This year, whilst house one is very much still our design flavour, we knew we needed to create a home that has broad appeal," explains Georgia.
Part of the challenge this year was the contestants having to design their own floorplan—a task the duo embraced; delivering a four-bedroom family home thoughtfully laid-out to serve a growing family.
"The overriding design aesthetic is a classic contemporary. It's a very neutral palette with luxe accents – brush brass, beautiful organic sheers, really amazing 100 per cent organic wool carpet, natural oak flooring, and Caesarstone," says Georgia. "It's quite paired back and plays on a material mix, but because the colours are all connecting, it all makes sense."
Open plan living
The open plan kitchen, living and dining are defined by the soaring cathedral-like apex ceilings. The kitchen and butler's pantry features marble-inspired Caesarstone, herringbone oak flooring and a servery that flows to the outdoor entertaining zone. A stoke fireplace and four-seater lounge by Globe West is designed for relaxation, while the dining area has a more intimate ambience.
"The space is so vast with these massive lofted ceilings. I wanted to break it up and create an intimate setting for a dining room, so we built a mezzanine area above the dining room. Therefore, lowering the ceiling height of the dining room. We have this really lovely pendant over the dining table, this amazing built-in bar and gorgeous artwork," explained Georgia.
The loft
The mezzanine is a contemporary take on a writer's garret – Ronnie and Georgia took the concept and put their twist on it. Big skylights that look out across Bronte Street, beautiful oak shelves and a lovely big chair, desk and reading lamp. And with the glass railing, you can see everything going on below, connecting the two spaces.
The theatre
Another hangout zone is the theatre room downstairs. Emulating the full cinematic experience, they wowed the judges with a starlit ceiling, velvet curtains, plush couches, surround sound and snack bar. And all without missing a beat with the level of sophistication upstairs.
"I was challenged from a design point of view because I had never done a theatre room before. How was I going to make this space dark and moody while making sense with the colour palette happening upstairs? We achieved that, and I think that's why it's one of my favourite rooms," she added.
The hallway
A beautiful glass and aluminium framed door separate the public and private spaces. A hallway runs like a gallery featuring original artwork by Australian artists, including Indigenous artist Lizzy Stageman and Byron Bay local Jai Vasicek.
"When you're buying a Block house, you're not only getting the brick and mortar, but you're also getting everything that comes with it. In our hallway alone, we have $20,000 worth of artwork. It's all those extra add-ons and inclusions that set our house apart," says Georgia.
The bedrooms
Then there are the bedrooms: the master bedroom stands out for its scalloped feature wall and custom bedhead. The stunning walk-in wardrobe features a fluted panelling, and the ensuite, with a ceiling that soars to great heights and oak cabinetry with marble accents, was a winner. While the guestrooms, which also got the judges' attention, have a mix and match contemporary style that set a calming mood.
"I think great design is about consistency and flow. We want our buyers to walk through the front door and feel like everything makes sense because of the design choices we've made," says Georgia.
Tune in to The Block this Sunday 7 November at 7pm when Ronnie and Georgia’s house goes to auction along with the four other Block homes; with the winning team netting the $100,000 prize on top of their auction profits.
View the listing for 2 Bronte Court on the Belle Property website and Domain.