Don't take everything you hear at face value. Do your research. Understand your house style history. But don't let other people influence your decisions if you feel strongly about it. Especially opinions that are in favor of modern ideas. Restoration of historic homes often requires us to turn modern influences off to see the past.

If you want to profess to be an old house expert, you need to do more than tell stories that you learned from your grandparents or uneducated house tour guides. Research the times you love, and I'm sure you'll find many conflicts to what you've been taught.