My friend Scott Grove has been doing interesting things with burl veneers. He pieces the parts together to create “seamless” patterns with the wood. He exploits the heartwood-sapwood contrasts to make swirls and spirals. The technique is fundamentally marquetry.
I should point out the base of the table which has a burl covering a compound curve. Wood isn’t supposed to do that, and I’m not sure how he does it…