furniture design ideas sought  

My 2 cents
Hello, my stribed friend.
Is there really a need for more dull park benches ugly and disrubtive restrooms?
Whenever I'm out taking a stroll up and down Mother Nature's hills and valleys, I ... eh, perhaps that sounds a bit wrong ... in a dirty kind of way.
I mean, I remember when I was a boy scout. The best thing when stopping for lunch or dinner, was to find a fallen tree trunk or some large rocks to sit comfortably on and just enjoy your food and the sounds, smells, colours, light and view around you. What I like about this, is that you're forced to think with your brain. There's no waiter here to show you to your table. You don't just sit your ass down on some cheap plastic chair made in China. You have to use your senses to find some structure, a nice spot, in the beautiful mess nature is. And when you've done that, you feel damn good about yourself.
Also, in those days as a boy scout I felt sort of connected to Mother Nature. My silent friend. Like your Teddy Bear when you were little and scared at night. Or having just the right record to play when you're feeling a bit down. I knew that there was much to be gained, esp. great memories, if I just respected her.
So, confused zebra, perhaps you could make something similar out of natural materials? I don't mean actual chairs and tables but you could design something where the shape looks somewhat intented and the function is somewhat obvious, but still keep a sort of natural, occasional and rough vibe going on. And where the nearby surroundings also play a part (light, sounds, vegetation, animal life etc.).
When looking at nature in very close details it's actually surprisingly symmetric, however if there's one thing nature's not, it's predictable.

mmmm sorry to sound brutal...
mmmm sorry to sound brutal but yer a design student and your asking other people for ideas? You should have 10 or 20 ideas of your own, you should fill up a sketch book on the project...look outwards, not inwards.

I like MAndersen's approach alot...
One place I go is full of park benches and instead I happily use a tree stump sawed off about waist height. It was part of a two trunk Eucalyptus tree, so the remaining trunk and tree provide shade also. It's perfect for setting my lunch and a coke on, eating quickly in the shade and then moving on. A natural feature in the shade is ideal.