You can view, save and delete any story that appears on GazetteNET here for up to 30 days. To add a story, simply click on the icon next to any headline.     Kitchens and Baths - Special Section Thursday, February 22, 2007  From dreary to dazzling - An aging Haydenville kitchen is born again CAROL LOLLIS Ellen Wittlinger and David Pritchard in their renovated kitchen in Haydenville.. - FEATURED ADS | SEE ALL - Click to view original size This ad ran: 2/22/07 - Kitchens and Baths Click here to browse all ads FROM dark and dreary to light and cheerful, a Haydenville kitchen was transformed last summer. The former kitchen had few windows, dark oak cabinets and oversize tile counters and flooring that "just made me dizzy," said Ellen Wittlinger, who purchased the 1859 house three years ago with her husband, David Pritchard. A solid wood door on the east side led to a tiny foyer adjacent to a breakfast nook delineated by an archway. They found both the foyer and the breakfast nook to be useless. The traffic flow into the main house was terrible. "It was less than perfect," Wittlinger said wryly. They wanted a radical change to the east wall and, sensing this might involve structural problems, they hired Northampton architect Lynn Rice to design a new space. » read more...    Dated tile? Rip it up or work it out, say the experts RHONDA Cadogan loves the one-bedroom condo she bought in Silver Spring, Md., in the fall of 2005. But she hates the bathroom.  A splash of color Don't let size fool you. The average home's guest or child's bathroom occupies a 5-by-7-foot space and typically is the smallest room in a house. It also is one of the most expensive rooms per square foot.  Some bathroom tweaks can cure the tile blues Most designers agree that if remodeling your bathroom is not in the cards, the best way to handle outdated tiles is to work with them, not against them.  Tables: What to look for Thomas Moser knows a lot about the construction of dining tables and chairs from 25 years of handcrafting heirloom-quality furniture at the Maine-based Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers he founded.  Take a chance at the table For Marlies Venute of McLean, Va., the dining room - "quite often an oxymoron" because so little dining is done there - is an ideal space for adventurous decor.  Step into a designer's kitchen Ever wonder what someone who designs kitchens for a living has in his or her own?  Fully loaded with features When they talk about "smart" appliances, who knew they'd come up with washers and dryers that can communicate with you via your cell phone, television or computer?  Green toilets save water Americans are finally flushing away old attitudes about toilets.  Cabinet designs maximize storage, minimize clutter When Michelle Power designed the kitchen in her new home - the last home she and her husband plan to build - she had two priorities: Convenience and contemporary style.  Picking the brain of a kitchen professional For 21 years, kitchen expert Jennifer Gilmer has been advising clients on the advantages of custom cabinetry, the differences between granite and quartz countertops and the importance of not skimping on appliances or table space. Her Chevy Chase, Md., showroom is a one-stop shop for kitchen designs large and small, budgets fat and, sometimes, not so fat.  Elements of a workable kitchen Redoing a kitchen? Pricey options abound, but here are a few features really worth investing in:  Tips for the kitchen and elsewhere Shower curtains  Protecting the dining table Dining tables can last a lifetime. They can be passed down through generations, but they need a little care along the way.  Dishwashers should clean but not be heard Hear that? It's the sound of dishwasher manufacturers lowering the machines' noise levels.  Entertaining style dictates table and chairs Eric Michael, co-owner of Occasions Caterers in Washington, knows the elements of successful dining and advises thinking about how you like to entertain before buying a table and chairs.  Frozen pipes: Causes & cures When winter temperatures refuse to inch over freezing for more than a few days, water pipes are at risk. Freezing incidents can occur when the temperature drops into the 20s. Burst-pipe problems begin to appear when temperatures are in the teens. Here's how to stay clear of frozen pipes and what to do if they do freeze or burst:  Microwave zaps germslurking on sponges Here's some good news for everyone who worries about germs: Zapping that soggy kitchen sponge in the microwave for a couple of minutes can pretty much sterilize it.  Picky customers and competition make soap a wash LOS ANGELES - One day in 2005, nearly half the business of Shugar Soapworks Inc. suddenly went down the drain. The company made private-label soaps for hotels and retailers at its South Los Angeles plant. If you stayed in a high-end hotel in Las Vegas, odds were that the individually wrapped soaps in the bathroom were made there.  Five home trends: Kitchens, closets and laundry You want that where?  The food mill: A classic tool in a modern age Modern mechanics has brought any number of kitchen marvels - the electric mixer, the food processor and the blender. But sometimes progress doesn't offer the best answer. Consider the food mill. It may be mechanical and marvelous, but it is resolutely unmodern. It's not as basic as a mortar and pestle, but it's not far behind.  New mop swiffs and sponges Mopping is one of those chores that - well - if there's a way to cut corners, bring it on.  Kitchen realism helps organization We remodeled our kitchen two years ago, replacing curling linoleum and rusted metal cabinets with more counter space and cupboards than we'd ever had. Yet when the friend who designed it called, I told her the drawer by the stove for hot pads and towels was too small.  Think twice about aluminum You want to keep your oven sparkling clean so you protect it by putting aluminum foil on racks, under food as it cooks, and down on the oven floor where food drops and burns to a crisp.  A weak flusher Ask the Carey brothers  Kitchen assumptions up for debate Here, an expert debunks all the kitchen design myths floating around today.