By examining the experiences from the CLIC project, which integrates cultural heritage adaptive reuse with the concepts of circular economy, the paper highlights the historical significance of these principles and their contemporary relevance. Historically, the production of daily objects, works of art, and monuments adhered to economic principles of efficiency and efficacy, optimising the use of available materials while perfecting their primary uses. However, industrialisation and globalisation have altered this logic, making materials more accessible but diminishing specialised craftsmanship. Driven by sustainability concerns, there is a need to recreate an alternative narrative that reinterprets traditional local economies. This paper focusses on the intrinsic circularity of the cultural heritage market, emphasising the contribution of intangible elements such as tacit and explicit knowledge, taste, and design in the production of heritage through craftsmanship. The discussion is organised into two main sections: the first re-examines the conceptual framework of tailor-made design from a circular economy perspective, discussing information asymmetry, tacit knowledge, maintenance, repair, taste, vintage, and the second life of things. The second section underscores the importance of recovering traditional cultural heritage production processes, highlighting the collaborative role of designers, craftsmen, and users in creating heritage through a tailor-made process. The paper concludes with recommendations for new theoretical and political narratives that restore the intangible dimension to cultural heritage.