Fresh ideas, inventions that I pass along to the world. Maybe they’re useful. Maybe they’re fun.

Skip tablecloths and being careful with the tabletop. Make a picnic table that has a garden of groundcover for a top. Living roofs are used for houses and buildings. Why not for furniture? Check out Matthew Swett’s architectural portfolio (Clinton Beach) for an example of a living roof.

Most picnic tables are made so stout that they should be able to hold up a layer of dirt and groundcover, especially something like creeping thyme or moss. In wetter regions, like around Seattle, there’d be no need to water the plants. Spills might even help. The table wouldn’t have to be cleaned off to use. Scraps and crumbs are already in the right place for composting. And it would definitely be a conversation piece. Instead of shading some patch of plants, the table, which is rarely used, would be a home and a source of oxygen.

Just an idea. Just having fun. Tell me if you do it.