How about something functional in a wood carving? Wood is a favorite material for furniture and furnishings so why not carve those? Or turn carvings into those items?
This little 'sign bear' was a commissioned project. As occasionally happens, he was just too cute to be left as a simple bear... The client liked my suggestion to upgrade him to a lamp and as soon as we agreed on the price increase, I went to work.
"Lamping" a bear is a fairly simple task thanks to the do-it-yourself lamp kits available from hardware stores. Routing the lamp cord through the relief kerf eliminates the need for drilling a hole the entire length. Pretty much all that's required is to carve a flat surface for the lamp base, drill the proper sized hole to join with the kerf, them assemble according to instructions.
For actual furniture, Big Wood is required!
I make multiple styles of carved benches and chairs but the full benches
{those with a back to lean against} are the most popular.
These benches are heavy both in weight and "wow factor". They can be disassembled for moving
{hand truck required} and, like all wooden products require regular maintenance if kept out doors.
Roman soldiers are said to have used the Keyed Chair.
This ancient design is probably the first portable lawn chair used by mankind. While heavier than an aluminum tube & webbing chaise, these are very durable and the smaller version is great for fishing or sitting around the campfire.
The design is simple and very effective. Like your chaise lounger, it folds compactly for convenient storage.
