The Property Brothers Convert a 1930s Toronto Home Into a Modern, Colour-Happy Space

Heading back to their native Canada, Jonathan and Drew counsel husband and wife Jason and Janna on how to marry their conflicting aesthetics. He likes antique touches while she’s all about clean, modern lines – somehow the Brothers manage to construct the perfect compromise.

Chic modern living room with blue area rug and marble faced fireplace

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Come Together Right Now

For first-time homeowners Janna and Jason, it was important that the décor in their new dwelling strike a balance between their opposing personal styles – he’s all rock ‘n’ roll and her tastes are more refined.

Entryway with gold wallpaper and lean paned window

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An Oldie But a Goodie

To appease Jason’s love of vintage accents, Jonathan made sure to keep some of the original features of this 80-year-old Toronto home, such as the arched front door and lead-paned windows.

Modern living room with blue area rug, marble faced fireplace and white modern iron chairs

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Something Old Something New

Adding stunning slabs of grey-veined marble around the salvaged enameled fireplace seamlessly brought together the old and the new in this 1930s home.

A dark-brown leather couch with blue and black-and-white throw pillows

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Something Blue

To take the living room palette from simple to striking, Jonathan chose a deep, true blue as the colour accent, which is found threaded throughout the space in the throw pillows, drapes and geometric area rug.

A built-in shelf holds firewood, a white succulent planter, a framed wedding photo, a large ceramic vase and candles

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Home Coming

Personal touches, such as a framed wedding photo, were incorporated into the design to make Janna and Jason feel right at home from the moment they step in the front door.

A large wooden dining table is set with blue plates and bowls holding whole pomegranates

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Making Room

One of the must-haves on Janna’s renovation wish list was a spacious dining room with sufficient square footage to hold her beloved solid-wood dining table, which she had lugged from city to city.

A thick wood dining table surrounded by black leather and brass dining chairs with a piece of winged art on the wall

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Match Up

The dining-room table finally found its forever home in this now open-concept house – Jonathan even sourced a rough-wood sideboard to match. The angel-winged artwork and black-leather-and-brass chairs added an edgy vibe, which made Jason very happy.

Matte black walls in the dining room set off wing-covered canvases, purple curtains and a thick wooden dining table

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Place Matte

Using a clever design trick, Jonathan’s team painted the walls around the dining area a matte black, acting as a visual border outlining the edges of the “room” in an open-concept living space.

A blue velvet bench sits in front of a black and white painted bannister leading up to the second floor

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It’s Black and White

Janna really wanted to get rid of elements in the fixer upper that felt too traditional (and stay within budget), so instead of replacing the bannister with something more modern, Jonathan painted the oak in a sleek, high-gloss contrasting white and black.

A modern kitchen features blue cabinets, a white quartz breakfast island and gold pendant lights

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Musical Rooms

During an earlier renovation (and this hodgepodge house had many over the years!), the kitchen was moved to the back of the house, reflecting modern preferences of having the kitchen back out to the yard.

This modern kitchen features blue kitchen cabinets, a white quartz countertop, stainless-steel oven and hood and muted gold hardware

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Footprints in the Sand

In the kitchen, Jonathan kept the footprint the same but shuffled around the appliances to enhance the flow and function. If the layout ain’t broke, don’t fix it – just update the space with new everything.

A sleek modern kitchen features blue cabinets, a white quartz breakfast island and yellow tufted bar stools

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Blue Ribbon

The new, blue cabinets now go right up to the ceiling, giving the couple the extra storage they were missing in their cramped condo, which was one of the reasons they wanted to upgrade to a nearly 3,000-sq.-ft. house in the first place.

A deep, stainless-steel chef's sink with gold hardware and white quartz counterops

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Double Feature

Gorgeous, high-end granite countertops and a deep, stainless-steel chef’s sink were just two of the updated features that helped convince Janna and Jason that post-renovation this might just be their forever home.

Modern kitchen with blue cabinets, white quartz countertops and dark hardwood floors

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Full of Complements

In genius mix of materials and colours, the high-gloss deep-blue cabinets, white subway-tile backsplash and muted gold hardware complement the new, dark hardwood floors that run throughout the main floor of the house.

Glass topped breakfast table with four wooden mid-century modern chairs and two teddy bears

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Baby Onboard

Halfway through the renovation project, Janna found out she was pregnant, so they increased their budget and changed the design direction to a more kid-friendly, open-concept plan, which gave them clear sight lines across the main floor.

Two woven baskets filled with palm leaves sit onto of a grey freestanding side cupboard

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Storage Facility

Now that Janna and Jason were expecting, having extra storage (for toys and baby gear) was more important than ever. Luckily, Jonathan was on it and incorporated stylish storage options into the home’s design.

Two vibrant yellow stools tuck in under a white quartz kitchen island set with halved grapefruit

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Non-Mellow Yellow

Contrasting a vibrant yellow against complimentary blue is a bold colour choice for any room, but it’s a risk that paid off when Janna first saw the completed space: “This is exactly what we had in mind!”

Silver faucet and tap set into a grey sink in a renovation powder room

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Moved to Tears

The main-floor powder room wasn’t ignored either – it got a complete makeover from top to bottom. In fact, Jason was so moved by the design choices, he teared up a little bit when the Brothers brought him in.

A grey toilet sits on top of a grey-white-and-black patterned bathroom floor tile

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Grey Stoked

Keeping Jason’s vintage-leaning sensibilities in mind, Jonathan opted for grey ceramic toilet and sink in the powder room, rather than basic white. The 1920s-inspired geometric floor tiles tie together all the shades of grey found in the small space.

A chic, wooden dining room table set with blue plates and bowls surrounded by black-leather-and-brass chairs

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Right On the Money

After buying the house for $1.57 million, Janna and Jason gave the Brothers $168K and eight weeks to turn it into their dream (now-family) home. “You really married the two styles, which is really what we wanted for our first home together,” said Janna, after touring the completed renovation for the first time.