Having different styles of shields and capes is very nice, but since you don't get a preview of what it looks like on your character as well as the fact that the style is permanent, you always have to carefully consider what style you want it to be and hope it doesn't look bad. After all, you're spending very valuable resources for which you had to go through Hel and back in order to get.
Giving an option to change the style of a crafted shield or cape at the forge/workbench would solve people having to grind for the same amount of resources again, just because they got a style they didn't like. No one wants to haul several tonnes of silver from the mountains, just to make a second silver shield, for example.
It's a minor addition, but it would make quite a lot of people happy with the added freedom of customization.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/valheim/comments/109eo4f/an_option_to_change_the_styles_of_crafted_items/
