Designing a content-rich customer site: customization versus WordPress templates?

Hi all, I’d like some perspective from designers who work on real client sites long term.

I just completed a full web developer course and am now working with my first client, a cosmetic surgery clinic, on a public marketing website. I was able to land this client by networking with my mainly non-technical network. The site has about 18 to 20 pages, with a large ‘Services’ section. Each service page contains lengthy explanations of the procedure, recovery information, images, and a consultation/contact form.

The client wants something that is noticeably more modern and ‘luxury’ than the current location, and they have shared another clinic’s site as a visual reference that they like. My goal is to design a coherent system rather than just restyle page by page.

I’m trying to choose between:

• Using WordPress with custom templates and a strong design system
• Or building a more custom frontend (React-based) while still using WordPress as your CMS

From a design perspective, I’m curious:

1. For content-heavy sites like this, how can you prevent designs from feeling templated or generic when using tools like WordPress?
2. How much of “luxury” web design comes from tool choice versus typography, spacing and consistency?
3. When you’re designing many similar pages (like service pages), how can you balance reuse with making each page feel intentional?
4. As someone earlier in my career, how should I think about choosing tools that support good design now while also scaling well for future customers?

I was excited to try using my development skills on a real-world project, but from what I’m seeing with my client, I’m concerned that this is becoming more complicated than it needs to be. I’m starting to feel like I should focus more on creating something that’s clean, timeless, and easy to maintain.

I would greatly appreciate any design-oriented advice or examples from your experience.