Advanced Product Attributes aka: the ghost product variations

Dear Gentlewoman and Gentleman,

We got a huge question mark floating in the office, how to solve this problem:
We would like to have a shit hot furniture webshop. These furniture are highly customiseable.

If I would make all the product variations for a more complex product, it would give thousands of variations easily… So:

Is there a way, to make only that amount of product variations, where the price is different from each other, but then would be sub-versions of these variations would not be “real, listed” variations, but would edit the actual variations SKU in the order, so we see, what the exact product variation the buyer wants?

(I’m sorry if beeing unclear)

for example: there is a chair: three attributes, which alters the price: leg type, leg material and seat pattern. But seat color does not changes the price, but the customer has to select that fourth -lets say- drop down list as well, and we get a modified SKU in the order.

Thanks for any help, pointing to a direction or hint!

Istók

(I could go on, what elese I could wish for a proper, I mean PROPER super advanced-flexible attribute mega system, but it’s not christmas yet…)