Swap places for a while, letting the missus drive while you haul. You may find your aesthetic changes.
I had a below-deck horizontal windlass with chain-rope rode on a previous boat. It was okay, but did reduce the chain fall from an on-deck installation. More is better.
On my current boat I have an all-chain rode and a deck-mounted vertical windlass. I find myself spending much less time fussing during anchor evolutions. A windlass with an incorporated chain pipe is cleaner, but does make recovery of a second anchor and rode a little more interesting.
Given time, money, and space I'd have a Lighthouse 1501 or similar two-sided horizontal windlass. Maybe I just like shiny things.