28 Comments

  1. Darren, Shaynna, Neale
    NSW 9.5,9.5,10=29
    VIC 9.5, 9,9.5=28
    SA 9.5, 9.5,9.5+1=29.5
    WA 9.5,9,9.5=28
    QLD 9.5,10,9.5=29

  2. Team NSW
    $23474.24 (down to the last cent this week)

    As always the judges are impressed by size and nothing is more impressive than a 4.3m island bench. It is a catwalk exclaims Shaynna. Just perfect for your Coyote Ugly drunken re-enactments.

    Neale remarks upon the stark difference between the new and old build of the house. This has a scandi utilitarian presence. The judges love the oak flooring and the stone.

    Of course the coffee machine is magnificient.

    Shaynna loves the ducted vacuum system but…the kitchen taps (while in the same family as the handles) do not match.

    Yes, they have more power points than anyone else but there is no power points at the far end of the bench so you can’t pretend to be working on your device while scrolling Tinder.

    On to the pantry area. It is serviceable. There is no pull out drawers or shelves.

  3. House 2
    Spend $20,867.20

    Darren walked into the kitchen and hugged the end of the island bench. Praise for Fabian’s work was effusive. ‘Wow!That is a monolith. That is amazing! Wow! offers up Neale (who desperately needs a shave but spolier doesn’t get one judging by the King ads he is in at the momen) ‘It is real stone,’ adds Shaynna.
    Darren barely containing his excitement, ‘Just look at this detail,; he demands. ‘It is just next level stone masonary.’

    For Neale the kitchen is a study in black and white. He believes the broadline glass fronting the cupboards is a nice touch and a reference to the period.

    The kitchen,however, is not flawless. The ovens are too high. Shaynna once again bemoans she can’t reach the cupboards. She also hates the dual sink as it takes up too much real estate in the island.

    Shaynna likes the layout of the kitchen with the benchspace on either side of the ovens. Neale thinks that the island is going to blind people to the imperfections of the kitchen. Aesthetically, the kitchen is stunning.
    Butlers Pantry.
    The judges love the novelty value of the louvered climbers.
    Neale thinks it is a timeless kitchen.

  4. SA
    $16284.70
    ‘Whoa!’ says Shaynna as she caresses the Christian Cole bench. ‘This is beyond a work of art.’
    ‘It is a beautiful nod to the art deco period’, opines Neale, complete with inbuilt whisky cabinet. .

    Darren hates the lights above the bench and notes the lack of power points in the main kitchen.

    Neale again reads the sponsor’s notes. The cupboards are in Kinsman’s new colour: Oyster Grey and the handles are Champagne. Geddit it people, it is an oyster and champagne kitchen.

    The judges love the butler’s pantry and they have clearly deliniated this space as the functional end of the kitchen with the ovens and power points.

    All three judges love the home made pottery.

  5. House Four
    $22922.13

    It is all about this corrugated curved finish this year.
    Neale feels that the kitchens this year, are ahead of the curve. Once again the combination of flooring and cabinetry is just right and the colour palette is superb. The brass fixtures give the kitchen a sense of warmth.
    The pendant is absolutely perfect for the room.
    Again, Shaynna would prefer the island had a single sink.
    Shaynna and Darren perform their double act to let the viewer at home know that the island bench is made from Ceasarstone Cloudburst Concrete. Subtle.
    The judges dislike:
    Position of the ovens
    Lack of power points
    Naff baskets sitting on open shelving.

  6. House 5
    $31316.36
    The judges enter the butler’s pantry via the pocket doors in the hallway. ‘It is clear who won the Gaggeanau’ with the overkill of the appliances in the butler’s pantry.
    Darren was amazed by the colour pallete as the mint green, charcoal grey and oak shouldn’t work together. Neale is not a fan of the open storage but it is offset just by the mint green operating as a ‘cute detail.’

    This is the only kitchen that has gas. The colour combination shouldn’t work but does. Shaynna is way too excited by the size of the fridge stuffed with LitenEasy. Neale again hones his acting skills by pretending to be impressed by the $5k carefully curated fine vintage wine collection.
    It is a kooky kitchen that truly is bespoke (hahaha Kevin McCloud’s favourite word). Not one that was lifted from Instagram (ouch).
    The pendants are too small and the stools are too large for the bench.

    • I’m obviously out-of-step with this reviewer – nearly everything that was praised I disliked, and he/she dissed all the features I liked!

  7. How did Shaynna give Jimmy and Tam 10 points when she said that the stools were all wrong? If that was the case then they shouldn’t have received a perfect score from her.
    My favorite kitchen was Sarah’s and George’s. Didn’t like the green in house 5, didn’t like the pendant light or the corrugated curved wall in house 4.

  8. I’m agreeing with Shayna, the huuuuge sinks in the islands are ridiculous. Especially when there is a butlers pantry.
    I can’t go at sinjs in islands, and this making a feature of them is absurd. A small sink on the same bench as the cooktop, for rinseing dishes, and hands, as you prep. Or your water glass or tea cup, etc is all you need.
    Stick that industrial sink out the way when you can.

  9. I thought big islands in kitchens were on the way out – personally I don’t like them they look ridiculous because they take up a huge space and looks like a tv prep station. I prefer a galley kitchen.

    I really like this season because on the whole it is moving away from deliberately casting nasty characters that will “shake things up” and who “speak their minds” which is double speak for people wanting to pick a fight. Even with great casting I can see the producers trying to bring in some drama a la the kitchen copying thing – no body mentioned that these kitchens had to be designed ahead of time.

    • Spot on, Bolders.

      “We’re not here to make friends” = ” We’ll fight anyone”
      “We’re doing it for the kids” = ” We’ll fight anyone”
      “We’re passionate about renovating” = ” We’ll fight anyone”
      “We work hard” = “When we’re not fighting”

    • The contestants are really savvy this time, and maybe the break in the middle helped too, but they choose their words very carefully. I heard one of the girls say as an aside, “that’s part of the role…” so they know they are there as actors in a play. I think they are very aware of how they might be presented.

    • Ok, so they chose the reverse of the judges, and like the reviewer above praised and dissed the opposite to me.

      Owchie, Dan points out that Kinsman have installed the benches incorrectly. Is that a sacking offence?

    • DD struck up a conversation with them on the beach a few months ago – she is hopeful of seeing them around more. I think they live in the same or adjacent suburb.

  10. Huh? Multi-million dollar houses, spare rooms with ensuites and robes etc… but piddly little living areas barely big enough for one lounge chair? Who needs a dining table anyway (just everyone in the world) because if you don’t like the uncomfortable high stools with your laptop and papers amongst the food prep, you can always sit out on the deck. At least for the few months of the year that Melb is not freezing or boiling hot. Makes the enormous kitchens such a waste of space.

    These houses are ridiculous. In my work I see a lot of new house plans, and the greater the value of the house the more living areas there are – at least three, if not four – living, family, media, kid’s retreat, parent’s retreat, library, craft rooms. And the living and family rooms are more like three times the size the teams are doing this week. Big money equals expansive rooms. Each with seating, many with tv’s or computers etc. Who will pay big bucks for these houses with nowhere to hang?

    • An episode a while back showed one of the power points and they were very basic which is very surprising – this is supposed to be $3million plus properties so how about some power points with USB ports? I’d rather some of those than 3 ovens.

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