Cups

Who does not love spending the cold winter nights with a good book and a hot cup of tea? Protagonists in our grandmothers’ sets of ceramics or in the more ironic versions to add color to the houses of younger couples, cups are an object destined to daily use and present in everyone’s life. English Mugs are the most popular; they are capacious glasses with a rounded base and a handle, typically made of ceramic materials to keep the heat. Cups have always been used to contain hot, smoking beverages to gladden crucial moments of the day. If in the morning we need the right recharge before running into the thousands tasks of the day, we cuddle ourselves with a cup of cappuccino; if In the afternoon we need a break from studying, we relax with a cup of tea.

Beyond porcelain cups

Porcelain is not the only material cups are made of any longer. Besides ceramic cups, there are plenty of other options ranging from ordinary to the more green materials. Glass cups are suitable to contain colored drinks like infusions; bamboo cups are easy to be carried along; the cups with silicone covers are ideal for those who love walking with their hot cup in their hands, leaving home and keep sipping their coffee even in the metro or at the office; often available in ecologic materials, biodegradable cups are the perfect compromise between functionality and respect for nature; for vintage lovers, metal cups offer an ideal revival of ancient milk mugs, today lacquered with pop colors or left in the typical steel coloration. In recent times, also copper cups have been spreading, not only to contain hot beverages, but also for cocktails and drinks.

Mugs: cups for breakfast and tea break

If it’s 5 o’clock pm, it’s time to grab from the cupboard your favorite cup of tea and savor some butter cookies. Everyone has their own, medium-sized or XL, colored or minimal. Cups generally reflect the personality of those who choose them. Young people prefer whimsical cups for breakfast with funny writings, for others porcelain cups are the maximum expression of style and bon-ton. Many brands and designers in recent years have revisited the sets of cups with saucer adding a twist that can make any table look special, a true design object of common use that crowd our kitchens wall cabinets. The market offers a multitude of typologies. Cups without handles and with an oriental mood; big American coffee cups; thermal cups, real thermos of smaller sizes that walk along with us across the town. Very useful are also cups with infusers; you will only need to put inside your most favorite blend of tea and in a couple of minutes your beverage will be ready. Thought for kids, cups with two handles are easier to grab and avoid hot milk to be spilled.

Surprise anyone by giving a customized cup as a gift

If you have to buy a gift and are out of ideas, you could opt for a cup. It is a simple and economic object; you will only have to find the right one for the occasion. Plenty are the Christmas cups on the market, including faint-colored cups, with decorated handles or pop hues. Many people love receiving cups with their name initials painted on, for using them or simply to exhibit them on the kitchen side, hung on a hook. For kids and young people you will definitely hit the mark with colored cups with extravagant shapes. Cartoon characters, princesses and superheroes are there to give a happy twist to this ordinary object.
A cup can also be a souvenir to buy for someone at the end of a trip. The shelves of the shops in big metropolis are full of cups with the name of the city printed on, or the picture of the tallest skyscraper. To conclude, a set of precious cups can also be chosen as a wedding gift and a memory for a special event.

Cups as an element of décor for classical and modern houses

Many are the alternative uses of this object. Cups are used as pen holders on teenagers’ desks; in kitchens they adorn the shelves, becoming a small furnishing accessory. It is pretty easy to find the right cup for any style. The most classic are displayed on the showcase cabinet in the living room together with the teapot, sugar bowl and saucers, all pieces featuring the same identical decorations. On the other hand, the most modern cups with geometrical images and pastel colors embellish modern American-style kitchens. As for cups suitable for microwaves, they are hooked to a support, normally a metal cup holder.