Cheap Chic Home Makeover

A dollar-stretching mother and daughter design duo show how to create rooms that are as stylish as they are cost-savvy. Clutter-free but never cold, these rooms have longevity and livability.

Stairway

For proof that the decorating gene can be inherited, just step into the front hall of this colonial in Rye, NY. Like all the effortlessly elegant rooms in the 1920s home, the robin's-egg blue entryway is a cross-generational collaboration between Suzanne Grua McGrath, an interior designer, and her 25-year-old daughter, Lauren, a blogger for the pair's style site, goodbonesgreatpieces.com.

Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.

1 of 8 Photo: Kate Mathis

Foyer

To mimic pricey original trim, the McGraths added squares of pre-mitered molding to the wood paneling, painting it to match.

2 of 8 Photo: Kate Mathis

Dining Room

Use greenery as inexpensive decoration: This space-filling fern invigorates a quiet corner.

On the $300 set of dining chairs: "We bought them because we loved them, and later found out they were a high-end brand," says Lauren.

3 of 8 Photo: Kate Mathis

Living Room

Three Tips for Picking Your Great Pieces:

1. The best value for the money: multitasking items that can shuttle between rooms, like the spindle-leg walnut table that becomes an outdoor drink station for summer parties. Suzanne found it years ago, "for $50 at a yard sale," says Lauren.

2. Don't get too caught up in a piece's design pedigree — follow your heart.

3. Remember, you can do more than just fix a flawed find — the McGraths continue to make over their favorites. Suzanne has reupholstered one sofa three times in 26 years, and says, "I'm ready to re-cover it again."

4 of 8 Photo: Kate Mathis

Kitchen

The McGraths collect chipped bowls on the cheap. Perched high, they seem pristine. Storage-rich, this island looks custom — but it's a chain-store steal on wheels.

5 of 8 Photo: Kate Mathis

Kitchen Nook

With neutral backdrops, throw in a colorful curveball. Color plays a part in energizing the butter-yellow kitchen breakfast nook — orange show ups on the pillows, place mats, and an inexpensive patio table — spray-painted persimmon, this table instantly gains a playful personality.

6 of 8 Photo: Kate Mathis

7 of 8 Good Housekeeping