The Daily Telegraph

THEIR week was far from a bed of roses but the hard work paid off when contestants Josh and Elyse completed their master bedroom on Channel 9’s The Block.

This year’s youngest contestants, carpenter Josh Barker and girlfriend Elyse Knowles took a chance, creating a space that differed from the other teams.

Josh says the contestants had limited time to plan the large space, which takes up the upper floor of the home’s two-storey extension.

The second storey of the house sits behind an original cottage, one of five old weatherboard homes that were transported to The Block’s Elsternwick site after being earmarked for demolition.

“It was a bloody hard week,” Josh, who has worked as a carpenter for the past 12 years, says of master bedroom week.

“We measured up everything as quickly as we could and got everything going.”

The couple chose an open format to maximise the sense of a retreat.

“We just went out on a limb and did something completely different to the other contestants,” he says. “Most of them put in a big wall and a double door, which really enclosed the space.

“We put the door downstairs rather than upstairs so you could walk up into a sanctuary.”

The space Josh and Elyse created includes a large bedroom, a daybed with drawers, a sitting area to watch TV, a spacious walk-through robe with plenty of storage, and an ensuite with a freestanding bath and double shower.

The couple went with a “timeless elegance” theme which guided their decision making in this space.

“We didn’t want to do anything that in five years’ time would look terrible,” Josh says. “We chose white subway tiles for the ensuite because they’ll be in style forever. The feature tile was a slight twist of the same tile but not too out there, it’s a beautiful blue.” ... FULL ARTICLE HERE