One of the things I do even in my bb tanks is to have some ceramic planters with either Radican, preferred, or some other type of Sword plant. They are planted in sand. This avoids the completely sterile look of a completely bb tank. See attached. This give the tank a warmer look and also helps with water quality as the plants consume harmful waste products and help to balance a tank.
This particular setup has two planters in this 60 gallon tank. bb tank with planter.jpg
I think it's important to not project human feelings, anthropomorphize, on to fish and other animals. It's a natural tendency and one that arises from empathy and the desire to properly take of an animal in our charge, but I think it needs to be understood that these are animals and have their own distinct needs.
I was speaking to an ichthyologist who was keeping a large Discus setup at the Atlanta aquarium. His main concern was to keep as stress free an environment as possible for Discus and all his fish. "Stress free" to my understanding relates to a healthy environment free of toxins and pathogens, well balanced in regard aggression between the inhabitants, and other physical / psychological that can either help or hurt the animals under our care. While it seems like a great idea to setup a nice planted tank that isn't bb it could end up being one of the worst things for the health of the fish if not done properly. It's a lot more complicated than just having some plants in a tank. It usually doesn't work out well for growing fish.
I think one of the things I can provide is a healthy environment where my fish don't have to worry about becoming another fish's diner. Think I just anthropomorphizied (lol).
Good luck with your fish and setup. Enjoy! In the end it's supposed to be about having fun and enjoying this hobby.