Things age.
Things change.
But it doesn't mean that you'll find anything to match the quality of resources from less than one century ago.
Modern resources "look" gorgeous, but are purely knock-offs.
And screw those home reality shows.
Once the TV personalities leave people's homes and family businesses, the gorgeously cheap modern products they installed won't last a decade.
One of my favorite local restaurants permanently closed after being the victim of these reality TV restaurant overhauls.
I'm not naming names, but...
They took all of the sturdy furniture and replaced it with gorgeously cheap stuff.
They changed what was a perfectly great menu.
Because of this, I kid you not, the place went under in less than a year.
We, the local customers, hated the cheaply overhaul of the dining area AND unnecessary overhaul of the menu.
This is how it all happened:
One day we went there for our usual lunch, and we saw cameras and the works. The reality show crew approached our car and explained it all, telling us when they'd reopen.
One annoying thing the crew told us, as they beamed with inexplicable joy, was to CALL the restaurant for reservations. When I called I was told that restaurant was booked for a month or so. Let me be clear, this was a family diner, reservations were never needed, especially during the week around 11 AM for an early lunch. So we decided against a reservations and waited a couple of months until things slowed down.
Our first visit after the craziness was sobering. They had painted all the wooden tables, and the paint was already peeling.
The owners looked stressed and were over-apologetic. They confided that the news attention was overwhelming; that soon after their restaurant's episode aired, they were experiencing a HUGE DROP of income. They explained that they'd lost a lot of regulars (like us) in the process. But, they were happy to see us, and offered that we could continue ordering from the original menu.
Let me say again, this once thriving restaurant went under in less than a year after the reality television overhaul. So I'm applying that wisdom to our bathroom remodel.
We'll be replacing fewer of our sturdy, high quality fixtures and appliances in order to avoid having to replace gorgeously cheap in less than a decade. When the next overhaul happens in a few decades, it is very possible that the high-quality porcelain tub will be able to go on for 50+ years.
Try to be happy with your sturdy life, a modern compromise could destroy all you've built over four decades.
~MissNikkiAnn