Kortney and Kenny Bring a Couple to Tears With a Modern But Cozy Redesign

When Joven and Sylvia bought their home a few years ago, they had big plans for a main floor renovation. But then Sylvia’s mother could no longer live on her own, so they furnished her a basement apartment instead. Now, with more money in hand, a five-year-old son and an itch to make their house a home, they called on Kortney, Kenny and the Making It Home team for help. With a $160,000 budget and two colour-blind homeowners, the designer-contractor duo definitely had a challenge ahead of them. See how they transformed this house into a forever home that brought the couple to speechless tears.

Watch Making it Home With Kortney & Kenny Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada. It is also available on the Global TV App and on STACKTV with Amazon Prime Video Channels. HGTV Canada is available through all major TV service providers.

Large kitchen island in modern kitchen with white cabinets

HGTV Canada

1 / 10

A Complete Family Space

Before Kortney and Kenny arrived, this home featured three distinct rooms and yellow walls. As Joven and Sylvia noted, it was fine, but it had always felt like they were living in someone else’s house. Luckily for them, Kortney was ready to fix that. One of the things these homeowners had always dreamed about was a giant kitchen island where they could congregate as a family or entertain. With a bit of structural reconfiguring and a new beam above, Kenny was able to open up the space and deliver. We’d say this island is definitely dream-worthy.

Open concept kitchen and living room with grey furniture

HGTV Canada

2 / 10

A New Open Concept

It was important to Sylvia and Joven that their family could be together no matter where they were on the main floor, which is why having this new open-concept layout was so instrumental in delivering their forever home. The living room and kitchen are now connected but delineated, with plenty of curated furniture and finishes that make this a cozy yet modernized space worthy of quality family time.

living room with a dark leather couch before the redesign

HGTV Canada

3 / 10

Before the Redesign

To compare, here’s the living room before the redesign. It was dark and had no personal finishes, which are essential when you’re trying to create a family home that feels loved and lived in. After a little reconfiguring, Kortney and Kenny transformed this room into the new dining room, which is completely unrecognizable…

HGTV Canada

4 / 10

A Family Dining Space

Bright, modern, and cozy, this new dining room feels like the perfect space for the household to enjoy many, many family meals together. There’s plenty of seating and storage, but more importantly, Kortney brought the couple to happy tears with the photo collage. The wall features blown-up photos that tell the story of a family that very much loves each other and wants to grow old together in this space.

Banquet in kitchen next to large windows

HGTV Canada

5 / 10

Multi-Functional Areas

When you have an open-concept design, having a flex space that various family members can enjoy and use is important. Before the redesign, Joven and Sylvia spent a lot of time at their dining room table getting work done, and by the end of their day, they no longer wanted to be in the space. Here Kortney and Kenny utilized the kitchen nook to create a flex-office with a banquet where all three family members can congregate for work and screen time. The best part of all – everything tucks neatly away underneath the bench when work is done for the day.

HGTV Canada

6 / 10

Creating Storage Opportunities

In the new living room, Kortney and Kenny designed a cozy family nook full of storage and functionality. There’s a new gas fireplace and a mounted TV for all of those family movie nights, while on the sides, the built-ins allow the couple to tuck items away when not in use. Of course, it all pulls together with the light wood finishes on the doors and mantel, creating a warm but modern vibe.

HGTV Canada

7 / 10

A Swoon-Worthy Powder Room

Half-baths may be small, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have personality. Kortney injected some into this particular powder room with a beautiful mosaic of tiles along the bottom half of the wall and an updated vanity. By keeping the bold prints contained, the space still feels open and airy, but at the same time modern and fresh.

Laundry room with blue walls and white accents

HGTV Canada

8 / 10

Putting the Fun in Functional

Since this couple is colour-blind, Kortney wanted to keep the colour scheme to a minimum. That’s why most of the walls are white and the finishes monochromatic. Still, she opted for some splashes of colour where it felt right, like in this laundry room. The light blue walls, paired with the white penny tile backsplash, feels modern but simple. Add in some floating shelves, a few hooks and a counter for folding items fresh from the dryer, and this is a pretty but functional family space.

HGTV Canada

9 / 10

Making an Impact From the Start

From the second you walk into this home, you feel those cozy yet modern vibes. Before, the rickety staircase wasn’t just an eyesore but a safety issue. Unfortunately, the team was nearing their budget by the time they got to the stairs and installing new steps and risers just wasn’t possible. Neither was painting the wood under the existing treads, given the quality of the material. So they capped the steps and stained them instead, spending roughly $3,000 on the project rather than a projected $10,000.

HGTV Canada

10 / 10

A Special Surprise

These days many of us appreciate an outdoor living space more than ever, which is perhaps why Kortney and Kenny decided to surprise this couple with a new backyard living room. With a new pergola and the addition of some outdoor furniture, this is now an area where the family can lounge, hang out, and play. It’s all part of making a house feel like a forever home, which, judging by this couple’s reaction, Kortney and Kenny totally did.

Keep up with Kortney & Kenny every Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada. Making it Home With Kortney & Kenny is also available on the Global TV App and on STACKTV.