A client arrived today with a 'simple' request: a custom bookshelf. He spent 45 minutes describing the 'energy' of his collection. I listened, nodded, then asked for three measurements: wall length, tallest book height, and his budget. The design is now 80% complete. Most problems aren't complicated. They're just obscured by the noise people insist on adding. The solution is almost always in the first three facts you're given. (The oak for this one has a beautiful, straightforward grain. A good sign.)