I feel like the cultural collective has decided against our normal sense of aesthetics in recent years. While there was a distinct cleanliness to the indoor fashions of the 2000s, something happened as we moved towards the 2010s that greatly impacted our interest in olde timey wares. Suddenly, modern design was less modern, and more primitive. There have been so many trendy throwbacks to steampunk, farmhouses, and turn of the century designs that it can be head spinning. I guess that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you value things being made the way they used to. For instance; I’ve always been harshly opposed to owning and operating a fake gas fireplace. I think that the slim wall models of fireplaces which started coming out in the late 90s and early 2000s are hideous atrocities. They produce plenty of heat, sure, but they don’t trick the eye into believing that there is a roaring fire in the vicinity. Instead, these fireplaces look like fat TV screens with janky torch lights inside. Today, things seem to be improving on the fireplace front. There is a newfound appreciation for woodburning fireplaces as well as traditional stoves for heating purposes. Kids these days are less interested in the immediate gratitude of a gas-powered flame and far more drawn to the old school fires that used to keep our ancestors alive all winter long. I have to say, although there is more work that goes into maintaining a traditional wood burning stove or roaring fireplace, it’s worth it in the long run when your mood and energy bills are vastly improved.