Anyone here build mostly from plans or do you do all of your designs on your own? Just curious. I've never really found a set of plans for anything that I want to make. Do you look to plans for inspiration and then modify them to fit your needs?

To date I have "designed" all of the things that I have made. Not to say that I don't get ideas or inspiration from other works, nature, objects, etc. but I usually have a good idea what I want the finished product to look like and then go from there. I rarely ever start with a set of fixed dimensions and I usually let the materials and methods work themselves out in the process.

Of course - I have only been building furniture and not built-in cabinetry where set dimentions make all the difference. I'm not opposed to using plans, but most of what I see are Shaker and Mission style and I prefer something more contemporary. I have yet to find a good source for contemporary furniture plans.