The way I work is probably different from a lot of production shops. Every project is custom, and every one starts with a room. Before I even think about furniture, I need to understand the space, so I model the room, walk through it, move things around, figure out proportions. Then I start designing furniture.
The weird thing is what happens next. The furniture I show the customer isn't really the furniture I manufacture. It's more like a design version — simple shapes, volumes, ideas. Once the customer approves it, I basically start over. Now I'm making panels, shelves, backs, holes, connectors, manufacturing details. The cabinet gets rebuilt again. Sometimes I stop and think: why am I doing this twice? Or three times? The room exists in one place, the design exists in another, manufacturing exists somewhere else, and somehow that's considered normal.
The other thing that drives me crazy is information. Photos are somewhere, notes are somewhere, measurements are somewhere, emails are somewhere. A year later I remember solving a problem before but I have no idea where I put it. I'd love a system that remembers everything — not just files, the thinking behind the files. Sometimes it feels like I'm spending more energy managing information than designing furniture.