In the triumphant 15th season of The Block, we watch our WA hopefuls pull out some incredible tricks to make a lasting impression and deliver a truly inventive and beautiful home.
The West Aussie pair are doing the state proud, taking out the room reveal win of the ‘Formal Lounge Room’.
We opened the floor to discuss the couple's experiences and incredible insights.
Speaking about the type of property the couple wanted to produce, they said, “we wanted to present a home that could hug you, our inspiration was the St Kilda vibe”, saying that they ‘clicked in to the Melbourne lifestyle, becoming a part of the St Kilda vibe’. Sharing that they took inspiration from the area that surrounded the home and that they were so fortunate to be undertaking the renovation in such an eclectic place. They hoped that their choice of artwork throughout the home would really connect with the potential buyers and tell their chosen story (no spoilers here). They played on the moodiness and heritage of St Kilda and made their choices with the type of buyer they believed would live there, at the front of their minds.
The couple’s tactics and styling choices throughout the show demonstrated that they were experienced renovators with a lot to wisdom. The pair shared that their biggest piece of advice to anyone considering a renovation project is to “live in the property first”. They elaborated further to explain “how can you know what you want to change if you don't know how the home works, to begin with”. El’ise went on to share about the purpose behind your chosen renovation “your family grows, things happen, things change, your lifestyle changes” and ultimately that time is of the essence, “we would’ve loved more time, to have given more to that build”. The pair were quick to remind us that planning and budgeting are paramount to a successful renovation.
Bringing it back to our local world, the pair shared with us some of their favourite suburbs in Perth, renovation or not. Receiving a laugh from the crowd Matt admitted that ‘it’s a tough one, I don’t know whether you guys are North or South’. Eli’se went on to say ‘I never thought I would be a Fremantle girl, but I appreciate the architecture down there. I love all the period detail down there’. Sheepishly Matt also admitted he was a ‘South boy’, the pair have lived in Alfred Cove previously. He went on to say that Bicton and ‘somewhere around the river, where you can enjoy most things’ would suit their lifestyle.
While there is no denying that reality TV certainly has its ups and downs. When asked about how their time on The Block, Matt and El’ise were completely candid, accepting that “whatever came out of their mouths, they said”. Believing in just being themselves and taking each moment as it came, the pair admitted that you can get swept up into the elusive ‘TV bubble’. El’ise went on to say it often felt like she had ‘Stockholm syndrome’. When asked if given the opportunity would they ever participate on The Block again, El’ise wholeheartedly said “in a heartbeat”, with Matt mirroring her sentiment adding “to sit here now and to think of what we achieved, I would definitely do it again. We know a lot more now.”
Are you desperate to see Matt and El’ise’s house in person, or perhaps even one of the other couples? Well, don’t forget to enter our ‘Hello Spring, Goodbye Boring’ competition, and go in the draw to win a trip for two to Melbourne, with the opportunity to visit The Block!
Enter here
The evening was in support of Realmark’s 2019 Spring Campaign which airs across the nine networks and during this year's season of The Block. Realmark also took out the top state award for Marketing and Communications Award at the REIWA Awards for Excellence 2019.