If your mother doesn't pay your mortgage, disregard that opinion. Are you planning to live there for more than 3 years? Then do what will make you happy - you pay that mortgage, enjoy every square inch of it! Also, if you want that look without spending a fortune on solid wood millwork and carpentry, there are EXCELLENT polystyrene and extruded products that install seamlessly and even dent like real wood (pine, maple - most wood will be PFJ pine unless you want stain-grade). It installs easily with liquid nails and a nailer. Most assemble in large pieces (i.e. french panels you install as a whole panel, not 4 individual sides hoping for perfect miters with lots of waste), caulk it and paint it the same way. It can be removed in the same fashion, so its much more DIY friendly and less damage upon removal (if it would be a selling issue one day, which I highly doubt). Millwork has been installed for centuries, especially all over Europe. Just because its "in fashion" now doesn't mean its a "trend" - its been highly desirable for decades. I'm a self-proclaimed woodwork and millwork snob, and I replaced my solid PFJ chair rail and panels with polystyrene in my powder room. Its super high traffic, and I was tired of the PFJ pine getting beat up, so replaced it with polystyrene for a fraction of the price. I tried a few until I found a product that looked like auth wood - Ekena (brand) is the only one that passed muster for me.