Block Story: Black vs. Gold Accents. Or why not both?
This week’s Block reveal gave us two key trends in hardware detailing – a showdown between black and gold accents.
This week’s Block reveal gave us two key trends in hardware detailing – a showdown between black and gold accents. No doubt both will be featuring in client requests and many new kitchen and bathrooms over the coming year. Here are the highlights and the products you can use to incorporate the same hardware looks in your own designs.
Harry and Tash
Let’s start with Harry and Tash’s laundry. Like all the contestants this week, the Melbourne locals had a tough time, despite scoring help from last year’s all stars Mitch and Mark.
The father and daughter pair carried through their theme of black accents into their hallway and laundry, with black pull handles for the cabinetry matching the black tap and sink and a contemporary black lever handle for the internal door.
Shop the look
Symm solid brass cabinet handles by Jolie, in Black, Aged Bronze and Old Silver.
Evoke lever handle by Jolie
Sarah and George
Sarah and George also featured black accents this week, carrying the black detailing we saw in their pendants and stunning arched glass door frame through to their powder room.
Here they used black tapware, towel rail and toilet-roll holder as well as a black door knob with privacy.
Shop the look
Jolie solid brass toilet roll holder in Black.
Daniel and Jade
Daniel and Jade combined both black and gold hardware details this week. In their hallway, the cream and white look with black accents from the hardware detailing was a hit with Darren Palmer, who described it as ‘serene’ and praised the ‘elegance of a simple palette’.
The couple also used black accessories in their powder room, but then switched to gold in the laundry, with small gold round cabinet knobs creating a fresh look against light cabinetry. The functional features of the laundry were enhanced with elegant and classy styling, with a nod to luxury from the choice of gold.
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Lune cabinet knobs by Jolie
Luke and Jasmin
The judges loved this hallway created by runners up Luke and Jasmin this week, appreciating the finesse with which the couple combined white paintwork, timber flooring and black steel door frames with gold lever handles.
Their ‘pretty hot’ powder room was praised for its ‘gold elements’, cheekily matching the gold label on Darren Palmer’s own product range included in the styling.
Their laundry also featured gold tapware matching with gold internal door handles and gold pull handles on the laundry cupboards, creating a harmonious look of ‘classic simplicity’.
Shop the look
Jolie Essence pull handle and towel rail
Jimmy and Tam
Winners Jimmy and Tam extended the use of luxurious gold accents that we’ve seen throughout their 1950s home into their rooms this week.
Their hallway featured gold lever handles on the doors and a black framed glass console to create what the judges described as a ‘visual’ feast as you enter the home.
In their powder room, we saw gold handles and a gold toilet roll holder. Their laundry was also a great success with bright gold cabinet handles and the light green cabinetry used in their kitchen, unifying a sunny, optimistic period palette.
Shop the look
Liv pull handles by Jolie
Secret pivot doors
Both Luke and Jasmin and Jimmy and Tam featured pivot doors to secret rooms in their hallways this week. The judges described Jimmy and Tam’s paneled wall and laundry door as ‘a masterstroke’, creating a feature out of the laundry door in its challenging location opposite the front door.
How did they do it? A door pivot allows you to push a door inwards or outwards without the need for a handle. Concealed hinges are invisible when the door is closed and beautiful when it’s open, and magnetic closing systems keep the door closed in place to give the illusion of a wall.
We recommend:
Pivotica 100 self-closing pivot hinge
Magnotica contactless door closer (also available in white and grey)
Invisible Neo concealed hinges – the concealed hinge for designers – shown here in Black Umber. Available in ten other colours and three sizes.
For more about pivot hinges, pivot doors and secret doors, read our blog post.