Let’s bring back the sensuous dining table

Earlier this summer, we went to our friend Sasha’s house for dinner. She served cocktails outdoors at a wooden table that, at first glance, resembled what you might find out back of an abandoned home. The table and chairs were covered with lichen. Sasha had been nurturing it for years, tending a living sculptural installation. She joked about having to defend her work-in-progress from the cross-hairs of her husband’s garden hose; he, naturally, thought the lichen should be hosed off. The simple furnishings are now beautifully studded with dove white blooms and dusty sage fuzz. Much of it is soft to the touch, some of it more textured. It adds new depth to a sensual dining experience, don’t you think? Look at that artful growth!