Updating Your Kitchen The Slow Style Way, Featuring Barbara Ballinger and Margaret Crane
Looking back, my kitchen has gone through many lives. It started with painted cabinets and bamboo floors on a tight budget, then evolved through a moody green phase during COVID before finally landing on a navy-and-white look inspired by the sea. Along the way, we tiled to the ceiling, swapped in a gorgeous Bertazzoni stove, shiplapped the ceiling, and added furniture pieces to make it feel warm and lived-in rather than purely functional. Each change taught me something about color, materials, and the value of taking time to figure out what really works.
With my renovation journey behind me, I sit down with Barbara Ballinger and Margaret Crane, authors of Kitchen Conversations, to talk about what really goes into creating a kitchen that works for you. We cover the basics like layout, storage, and lighting, and why planning for how you actually use the space matters more than following trends. Barbara and Margaret share practical tips on where to save, when to splurge, and how to avoid common renovation mistakes. We also discuss making design choices that last, adding personality to your kitchen, and how to approach the entire process without rushing it.
Watch this entire episode on YouTube HERE
KEY TAKEAWAYS
My Kitchen Makeover: A Slow-Style Journey
When I first moved in, my kitchen was a patchwork of bad slate tile, fluorescent lights, and tired oak cabinets. We didn’t gut it right away—I wanted to live in it first, to see what worked and what didn’t. My first fix? Painting the cabinets a deep aubergine color. It wasn’t perfect, but it bought us time.
The slate floor had to go—it was uneven, hard to clean, and honestly, ugly. We replaced it with bamboo flooring for its eco-friendliness, affordability, and the fact that we could install it ourselves. Next came butcher block counters from IKEA because I wanted something natural and warm, not synthetic stone. I paired those with a white apron-front sink, also from IKEA, and subway tile with dark grout for a bit of Parisian café charm.
Living Through Three Kitchens
The first big color change was black lower cabinets and robin’s egg blue uppers, plus chalkboard-painted pantry doors for the kids to doodle on. Then came the moody green phase during COVID—a fun project with my son when we needed a distraction. But the dark uppers made the space feel heavy, and the high-gloss paint clashed with the butcher block counters. It was too many styles competing at once.
That’s when I realized I wanted a kitchen that felt cohesive and personal. Inspired by sailboats and the New England coast, I went with navy lowers, white uppers, tore out the ugly soffit, tiled to the ceiling, added a Bertazzoni stove, and even shiplapped the ceiling to hide its imperfections. We brought in a real antique hutch instead of built-ins, added cozy lighting, and even a cowhide rug to make the space feel warm and lived-in rather than sterile.
Enter the Experts: Barbara Ballinger & Margaret Crane
With my own journey complete, I brought in Barbara Ballinger and Margaret Crane, authors of Kitchen Conversations, to share their wisdom. Their first piece of advice? Function first, beauty second. They talked about planning the layout, thinking about work triangles (or multiple triangles in larger kitchens), and making sure things like the dishwasher, sink, and fridge are placed where they actually make sense for your life.
Start with How You Use Your Kitchen
The first thing Barbara and Margaret stressed was this: don’t start with the backsplash. Start with how you actually live.
Do you cook big meals every night? Do you bake on the weekends? Do you need a space for kids to do homework while you prep dinner? Barbara pointed out that the classic “kitchen triangle”—the sink, the stove, and the fridge—is still useful for saving steps, but modern kitchens often need more than one triangle because they serve multiple purposes now: cooking, entertaining, eating, and even working from home.
The Practical Details That Make or Break a Kitchen
Margaret gave a few examples that hit home for me. Like where the outlets go.
You need them:
Near counters for coffee makers and mixers
In drawers for charging phones and iPads
By the range for immersion blenders and small appliances
She also mentioned how frustrating it is when the trash pull-out ends up across the room from the sink—something that seems small until you use the kitchen every day. Barbara added that things like counter space on both sides of the stove, or a landing spot next to the fridge, make cooking so much easier but are often overlooked.
Why You Should Live with Your Kitchen First
One of my favorite takeaways: Barbara and Margaret both recommend living with your kitchen before making big changes.
Barbara shared how she initially thought she needed three stools at her new kitchen island, but after living in the space, she realized two made more sense. I told them about my own kitchen, which evolved slowly over years: painting cabinets different colors, updating the lighting, replacing the floor, and eventually tearing out a badly built soffit above the upper cabinets. Each step taught me something about what we actually needed before spending on bigger updates.
Where to Splurge and Where to Save
Barbara and Margaret agree it’s worth splurging on things that improve function or bring daily joy. One Portland homeowner they interviewed spent $9,000 on a Waterstone faucet because he loved how it looked and worked—and it became the centerpiece of his kitchen.
On the flip side, they pointed out that you can save money by keeping your cabinets and changing only the backsplash, hardware, or countertops. Even small updates like a new faucet or fresh cabinet paint can make a huge difference without the cost of a full renovation.
Style Choices That Last
Trends can be tempting, but Barbara and Margaret recommend keeping expensive elements like cabinets classic and neutral, then adding personality through color, lighting, or furniture pieces that can be updated later.
Barbara mentioned Julia Child’s original kitchen, now in the Smithsonian, as a great example of function meeting charm. It wasn’t fancy, it had pegboard walls for pots and simple counters, but it worked beautifully because it was designed around how she cooked.
They also talked about using real furniture, like an antique hutch or a comfortable chair, to keep kitchens from feeling cold or cookie-cutter. In my own kitchen, replacing tall IKEA cabinets with a vintage hutch instantly made the space feel warmer and more connected to the rest of the house.
Technology and Accessibility
We also touched on tech upgrades. Some people love the idea of smart refrigerators or voice-activated faucets, but as Margaret shared, many homeowners never actually use those features. On the other hand, motorized cabinets and counters that adjust to different heights can be life-changing for people with mobility challenges—a splurge that truly improves daily life.
A Kitchen That Works for You
Barbara and Margaret ended with a reminder: even the most beautiful kitchen won’t work if it doesn’t fit your life. Start with function—how you cook, eat, and gather—and let style follow.
And if you’re worried about resale? They say don’t be. Most buyers redo kitchens to fit their own tastes anyway, so create a space you love now.
As someone who has slowly updated my own kitchen through three different versions: painted cabinets, DIY shelves, new flooring, lighting, and finally a ceiling covered in shiplap—I can confirm: taking your time pays off. It saves money, avoids regrets, and helps you design a kitchen that truly works for you.
So whether you’re planning a full renovation or just dreaming about new countertops, “Kitchen Conversations” is full of practical advice and real-world examples to help you get there—without rushing the process.
Until Next Time
-Zandra
