Good design takes what was previously a drawback to a product and makes it a benefit. Take this fancy umbrella stand, for example. While drippy umbrellas fresh out of the rain are usually an annoying mess-maker, this stand turns the rain into a good thing. Because there’s grass underneath where the umbrellas go, rainwater keeps the stand fresh, so to speak, watering the lawn.

It’d clearly work a lot better in rainy places like Seattle where your grass would get enough to drink. Otherwise, during dry spells, you’d have to water the grass yourself, which would turn the design right back around to annoying. It’s a careful balance.