The coffee cup in the first collection is based on a one-off piece I threw in 2023 . I’ve been using the skills gained during my apprenticeship at Hjorths Fabrik to develop and recreate this form, taking time to consider what I like about it, and how this might translate to other functional wares. The key attributes of the form are:

• Soft V/U‑shape
• Indents in the top third of the form to rest fingers while holding
• Short enough to tuck little finger underneath the base for extra support
• Tapered rim – more pleasant to drink from
• Diffused, overlaid glazes on the exterior

After roughly calculating the shrinkage percentage based off the measurements of the original, I started throwing with 350g of clay to produce an array of cups which I could critique and use to move forwards. Though I was aiming to reproduce the original, I wanted to stay open to the possibility that I might come up with something I preferred more in the process and tried to be mindful of what felt good to throw, noticing which movements were enjoyable or felt natural to repeat.

The trickiest part has been ‘setting’ the overall curve of the body. I tried to formalise this by using a rib, but lost a lot of character in doing so and things started to feel a bit flat. I’ve realised that I enjoy when some subtle throwing lines are part of the form, a bit of slip left to dry on the surface instead of being scraped away; something a bit more humanist. While scrutinising my efforts, I noticed that the silhouette was most pleasing when it felt as though it was gradually closing; a feature that feels present in the original. It’s surprising that the implied shape (the imagined continuation of the form) can feel like this despite finishing with an outward flare at the rim. The overall curve of the body, then, is the most important detail of the cup; more so than the slightly flaring rim or the two indents – attributes which I considered the most dominant beforehand.

I like this idea of the form continuing and resolving itself in my mind; it’s what makes the object engaging for, prevents it from feeling static and tired. Maybe this feeling of dynamism is more present in objects that are used, added to, moved around , held . They’re set in motion through use and we encounter them in varying states and contexts, as part of scenes with other objects . Or maybe cups in particular draw this kind of imaginative response – something about their perpetual openness makes you want to close them.

The coffee cup I’m settling with for the first collection holds ~300ml of liquid, making it good for an aeropress. I’m throwing the walls to be thick enough so that adding hot liquid won’t make it unbearable to hold, but not so thick that the cup feels heavy or unevenly weighted. They’re designed with everyday use in mind, so not being overly fine accommodates this too. The overall ‘U’ shape means they stack well , taking up less room in a cupboard or on a shelf. I fire and glaze my work at a community studio, and the glaze options I’ve chosen work well for putting together mixed sets, but are characterful enough so that there’s still pleasing variation in the same finishes . I’ve been enjoying my coffee from a version of this cup everyday for the last few months and think it’s really lovely to use. This cup has provided a good base to form the initial collection around, and I’m excited to see how it sits with the bowls I’ve been developing. More to come on those soon! ●