You can set up a new "chair" item in the database and add the <Furniture: chair> notetag. Once the player owns this item, they can place a chair. Then define the "chair" item itself as its own build material instead of "wood" or "stone".
If you think that doesn't fit well, I can try to add another setting into the plugin manager so game devs can switch between a more sandbox-like crafting system or the system that you described. Historically, this furniture system was built on top of the sandbox, with only a few adjustments.