The Best Bedroom & Bathroom Ideas From The Block 2020
Learn how you can recreate these brilliant lighting techniques used by The Block teams in your own home.
Giving a home a makeover is no easy task; transforming a period home and bringing it into the present time while still retaining its vintage charm is a whole different level of difficulty. But The Block teams have proved that it can be done. They have delivered breathtaking bedrooms and bathrooms with brilliant lighting plans that will make their homes timeless!
Here are our favourite tricks and ideas for how you can recreate the same eye-catching lighting designs in your own home.
Light in layers
There are three important layers in any lighting plan. Your ambient lighting layer provides general lighting for your space, your task lighting layer provides focused light to carry out your tasks safely and your accent layer helps to add a decorative aspect.
Let’s have a look at the master ensuite week on The Block this season. Three teams brilliantly meshed the three key layers and created eye-catching, luxurious spaces. They used downlights for general illumination, stunning vanity wall lights that provide practical light for grooming tasks, and strip lighting under their vanities and in niches for a decorative effect.
Luke & Jasmin’s master ensuite
They layered their lighting with our MFL By Masson Gypsum downlights, Aksel wall brackets and strip lighting.
Daniel & Jade's master ensuite
They layered their lighting with our Custom downlights and Parker wall brackets and strip lighting.
Sarah & George's master ensuite
They layered their lighting with our MFL By Masson Accent minitrim downlights, MFL By Masson Artisan wall lights and strip lighting.
Play with light
Lighting doesn’t have to be so serious; you can have a lot of fun with it too! Like Luke and Jasmin did in their cute kids bedroom. They created a jungle-themed space with wild animal toys and green design elements and added a pop of beautiful sunshine which was our Disk wall light. Not only does it emit a gentle, splayed glow but also provides a sense of safety as it’s fixed to the wall and won’t move.
Highlight feature walls
When you have a massive feature wall, don’t hide it, highlight it! Sarah and George framed their feature wall with our MFL Accent Minitrim Wall washer downlights in a wall grazing technique that created an interesting shadow effect and threw light on the beautiful tree canopy graphic. This technique can be achieved by placing two downlights close together and less than two feet from the wall. They continued the shadow and light arched effect on the adjoining wall by using our Mona wedge wall brackets to uplight the area. We can’t not call out our Midas bedside lamps which added another layer of sophistication in this breathtaking room.
Light high with low ceilings
Don’t worry if you have low ceilings, you can still install a pendant. Daniel and Jade tackled this issue cleverly in their small beach box. They chose a close-to-ceiling suspension for our Aksel pendant which brought the pendant higher, retained the dramatic effect and made the room feel larger.
Statement Lighting
Say it with lighting! A single fixture can reflect your room’s theme and your own personal style while creating the ambience you desire.
Sarah & George's master bedroom
This team created a master bedroom straight out of Hollywood! If that’s the look you’re after, use bold colours and opulent textures to infuse a sense of luxury. And of course, use a grand statement pendant like our Corbelle which features curtains of vertical glass rods that refract the light and create an eye-catching effect.
Jimmy & Tam's beach box
Even a small space is worthy of a statement pendant! Our Byron pendant was the centre of attention in this natural coastal style beach box. It’s woven rope look complemented the natural textures and colour palette and added a vibe of laid-back luxury.
Luke & Jasmin's beach box
If you live near the coast, maximise the coastal look! Follow Luke and Jasmin’s lead with our handcrafted Dunne pendant in a soft, antique brass frame with iridescent capiz shells. Coastal – tick, luxury – tick!
Luke & Jasmin's guest ensuite
Who said a bathroom can’t have statement lighting? A single wall bracket like our Aksel can be off-centred to create a stunning effect. If brass is your chosen finish, ensure that all your elements like your tapware, mirror and doorknob feature the same finish to create a cohesive look.
Lighting a period home
A period home comes with delightful architectural features like ceiling roses, arches and decorative cornices. The lighting you choose should complement the historical charm of your home while also adding modern-day functionality.
Daniel & Jade's master bedroom
If you have a decorative ceiling feature like Daniel and Jade did in their 1930’s bedroom, go all out to accentuate it. They used our Veil pendant which has vertical glass rods that reflect the light beautifully on to the ceiling creating attractive light shadows around the ceiling feature.
Luke & Jasmin's guest bedroom
Here was another period bedroom from the 1910s with a Victorian-era plaster ceiling rose. Luke and Jasmin used our Chrysler pendant to leverage this period feature. Featuring a schoolhouse shade and antique brass suspension, the Chrysler hints towards the heritage of the home while being contemporary enough for the 21st century.
Daniel & Jade's guest ensuite
If you have a 1930’s home, you can copy what Daniel and Jade did in their bathroom. They used a Art Deco-style mirrored cabinet and flanked it with our Camilla wall brackets for that classic look. The light’s brass finish adds warmth to their space and provides a lovely contrast to the black.
The magic of lamps
Lamps are the most versatile lighting choices and they can transform your space instantly and easily. Besides being super functional, bedside lamps can bring visual symmetry and style, create moods and add drama or contrast to a space.
Jimmy & Tam's guest bedroom
When you’re choosing a lamp, be inspired by the elements around you and tie them in with your lighting design. Take for instance, our Shore rattan table lamp which fits in beautifully with the graphic wallpaper, green tones and light timber accents of this space.
Jimmy & Tam's master bedroom
Don’t just think pretty, think practical too. Our Touch lamps not only aesthetically complement the tropical feature wall and the matching bedspread but also add practicality to this space with their touch technology and dimming function.
Daniel & Jade's girls bedroom
We love the simple yet powerful styling in this bedroom. The team used a mix of rusty red, pink and orange shades and a variety of textures in their linen choices to create a sophisticated, feminine look. They added our gorgeous Mele bedside lamp and voila, you have a bit of visual magic!
Harry & Tash's guest bedroom
This room has a feeling of instant calm! Our Blakely lamp lends the retro touch to an otherwise contemporary space. Besides good looks, the Blakely is dimmable and has an adjustable head. Remember, lamps with multi-tasking features like dimming and colour temperature changing functions or USB ports for charging your smart devices are handy to have in a bedroom.
We hope these gorgeous rooms have inspired you with ideas to transform your own spaces. If you need professional advice, our expert lighting designers would love to help you out. You can book a personal consultation with them here.