Looks are very important. No need for apologies at all. My axe to grind is that it is not, or rather should not, be a beauty vs performance continuum. Rather they are not mutually exclusive and I say: Why not both?
Another vote for the Technics 1200 series. It is not surprising to see so many clones of the iconic design. Amongst the older series the SL1210Mk5 is a real looker. The new ones are all jewelry.