Before & After
A 1920s Toronto Home Gets A Pretty, Historical Upgrade
Published on June 27, 2025
Designer Cori Halpern brought this 1920s Toronto home into the 21st century with an eye to the past in just six months. Discover how she achieved a pretty, decorated dining room and a sleek, colourful kitchen. Don’t miss Cori’s biggest splurges and best saves below!
Decorated Dining Room
Major Moves:
- Hung new wallpaper and drapes for a casual yet elegant look
- Refreshed the wainscotting by painting it out
- Replaced the radiators with newer, more efficient ones, and designed new covers to integrate with the existing trim
- Installed new hardwood floors
- Increased light with a new chandelier
- Custom designed new furniture for the space
- Added antiqued mirror to the doors of the custom storage piece for a vintage feel
Related: Cori Halpern remodels a condo with colour, pattern and vintage style
Biggest Splurge: The storage piece.
Best Save: The wallpaper completely transformed the space. Wallpaper, approx. $2,800.
The One Thing This Room Can’t Do Without: The wallpaper inspired the design; it pays homage to the home’s heritage with its Art Deco–Art Nouveau vibe.
The dining room, before.
Colourful Kitchen
Major Moves:
- Reconfigured the floor plan to improve the layout and accommodate new Miele appliances
- Removed an oddly placed window and relocated the sink
- Designed the upper cabinets to go to the ceiling
- Incorporated the client’s favourite colour, aubergine, keeping the uppers neutral and light and the lowers more bold
- Installed new lighting and display shelving
- Selected natural quartzite for the counters and backsplash
- Installed floor tile in an interesting pattern
Related: 15+ kitchens with colour to inspire your next makeover
Biggest Splurge: The custom cabinets with the two-tone colour scheme.
Best Save: The flooring — a simple porcelain tile. Tile, approx. $2,540.
Elements with the Most Impact: The use of bold colour and mixed materials in the cabinets, plus the new appliances and more efficient layout.
The kitchen, before.
Virginia Macdonald (Cori’s portrait)/Donna Griffith (interiors)
House & Home
Me & Mo. Creative, Meg Crossley and Morgan Michener
Cori Halpern