Shut The Front Door

What actually adds value, and what just adds ego?

Every week, questions come in from clients, readers, and the occasional person who just wants free advice. One that pops up again and again is about taste versus value - that line between what makes your house “you,” and what makes it valuable to someone else.

And the truth is, most people confuse the two.

“Will I ever recoup that luxury renovation cost?”

Maybe. It depends on whether you’ve created something timeless or something deeply personal.

There’s a difference between investing in quality and chasing luxury for luxury’s sake.
If you spend €50,000 on a kitchen countertop because it makes you happy, that’s great - but don’t expect the next buyer to pay you back for your joy.

Buyers pay for what they recognise as quality, not what you feel is quality.

A well-built kitchen with solid joinery and neutral tones? Value.
A marble slab imported from a single quarry in Italy with gold veining that matches your dog’s collar? That’s taste. Yours.

I’m all for making a home feel like yours - but the second you cross into “statement feature” territory, you’re designing for an audience of one. And the market, unfortunately, doesn’t reward individuality.

“Is the kitchen still the showstopper that sells houses?”

It can be, but only if the rest of the house earns it.

A beautiful kitchen won’t disguise poor proportions, bad light, or an awkward flow. I’ve seen houses with four different “entertaining rooms” that never get used - yet everyone gathers around the kitchen island because it’s the only space that actually works.

That’s the trick. It’s not the finish that sells a kitchen; it’s the function.

When a layout supports how people actually live - cooking, working, chatting, kids doing homework -buyers feel it before they analyse it. They start picturing their life there, not yours.

So yes, design matters. But it’s usability that converts.

“Am I buying for Instagram or for lived experience?”

A dangerous question - because most of us want both.
But social validation doesn’t make a home livable.

It’s easy to get caught up in aesthetics - the warm light, the clean lines, the splash of “quiet luxury” that photographs well. Yet the houses that age best aren’t the ones that looked best online; they’re the ones that still work five, ten, fifteen years later.

When I’m walking a client through a property, I’ll often ask:

If the answer’s yes, you’re probably on the right track.
If the answer’s, “Well, it’d be great for hosting,” that’s not a home - that’s a set.

“Is the ‘forever home’ idea just setting me up for failure?”

Honestly, yes.
The term sounds comforting, but it’s become a trap.

People put enormous pressure on themselves to get everything perfect -every layout, every view, every tile - as if they’ll never move again. Life doesn’t work like that. Your needs, family, and lifestyle will all change. The “forever home” myth ignores that reality.

You’re better off buying for the next chapter - not eternity.

That mindset shift alone makes better decisions: less stress, more flexibility, and fewer compromises made under the illusion that this one purchase must serve every version of your life.

The takeaway

When you strip it all back, the question isn’t “What adds value?”
It’s “Value to whom?”

Your job as a homeowner is to know when you’re buying for emotion - and when you’re buying for equity. Both have a place. The problem comes when you mix the two without realising it.

Good taste can make your home feel incredible.
But timeless design, practicality, and proportion are what make it valuable.

A thought for this week

Ask yourself:

If I moved out tomorrow, would the next buyer see this as an upgrade - or as something they’ll need to undo?

And if it’s the latter, am I okay with that because it makes me happy?

Neither answer is wrong. You just need to know which game you’re playing.

Your turn

What’s one “upgrade” you’ve seen - or made - that looked incredible, but added no real value?

Hit reply or leave a comment.

I’ll feature a few of the best answers in next week’s issue (Anonymously!)

Bonus Video answering another question