Which surface is best for me?

We are winding down on this redesign. This back yard says courtyard to me because it’s sunk down and surrounded by terraced flowerbeds and fencing. So my question is what do we do with this court yard? There are several options we could choose. I have been wrestling with this a bit.
We could choose to just grass the area. This gives a great natural feel which fits the yard. It is the least expensive approach. Troubles are that one, for such a small area we need to get out the mower. Two, we really wanted this area for setting out chairs and benches and with the grass the legs sink in and it is hard to mow moving the furniture. Three, the grass is hard on the legs as it keeps the moisture around them.
We could just choose to use an aggregate surface. It could be pea gravel or crushed stone. This would also give us a natural feel but eliminate the problems with mowing and the seating problems. It too has problems with keeping it looking good and it not being a solid surface for walking on. This would not be the choice of some.
Another way we could treat the area would be to use interlocking brick. This solves the problem of shifting under foot and gives a great solid surface to walk on. I think it would look great if it was done in a circle pattern creating focal point in the center. Though this would be the most expensive way of doing it, the least natural and the most formal.
Finally from my perspective here we could use wood on grade. Like making a deck right on the ground. This too would give us a solid surface with less upfront cost than the interlocking brick but more maintenance and less life span.
What do you think we should do? I personally like them all for different reasons that is why I have been wrestling with this. Any one of them done well works. My choice is for the interlocking brick. Why? Because I like to spend money? No. Because of the solid surface and because I really think the circle pattern would look great. Now all I have to do is convince the owners to spend the money.
I think this yard is going to give the owners a lot of pleasure and years of enjoyment.
Looking to give customers what they are looking for.

“Designing by the yard”