[danprager]

There is an echo in the article of Christopher Alexander's view that architects -- professional house designers -- tend to generally make less functional choices in house design than people who design their own homes. The architect's goals may include a desire to produce something that looks stylish, but (s)he does not have to live in the result.

In the case of custom software development -- also home design -- the happy medium surely involves the professional working closely _with_ the client.

OTOH if you have sufficient skills and the time to combine both roles I say: Go ahead and enjoy the ride.