I have often wondered why I care if the things around me are beautiful or not. If “form follows function,” as Louis Sullivan once said, then as long as an interior layout is serviceable, isn’t that enough? Why go to the time and considerable trouble of renovating?

And it’s not just me. As has been revealed in the past few years, people very often overspend when purchasing their homes, getting into mortgages they can’t pay off. Renovating is as popular as ever, because people want to improve the homes they have. Everyone wants granite countertops and hardwood floors – there isn’t much of a drool factor to formica or vinyl. Why do we fetishize things that will just be different versions of what we have?

Sure, there’s a practical side to doing home renovations. All houses require upkeep, and if a floor needs replacing you might as well buy something that increases the value of your home. All homes get sold sooner or later. But that’s not what I’m talking about. People regularly go beyond the realm of the practical – they spend more than they intend to get something that’s extra special.

Come along as I jump down the rabbit hole and explore what motivates the pursuit of a better looking home. We won’t bite into the “what is beauty” question – I’m just going to accept that it exists. What I’m after is “why”.