Espresso cups & sugar bowl: DIY mocha coffee tableware design

unique hand-painted decorative mocha coffee set, easy to recreate as a relaxation ritual and gratitude exercise

You already know that I'm a fan of minimalism and mindfulness and that I enjoy the little beautiful things, but don't always find it easy to find them in stores (physical or online). The fact that when I do find them, they are often far too expensive or have a detail I don't like is my problem, but maybe it's happened to you too. That's why (and also because I'm an ambitious decor lover and love doing things with my hands to relax and live in the moment) I decided to take the design of my mocha coffee set into my own hands when I was looking for one.

Living in the here and now, being intentional about what we do and feeling gratitude for what is, regardless of the outcome, is a great way to relax and feel better.

Do you also need more relaxation or a new coffee set or would you like to give one as a gift? Here I tell you how I made mine. You can easily recreate it and modify it to suit your taste - the possibilities are endless.

If you don't need a mocha coffee set right now, you can find more porcelain decorations in this post.

What do you need to create this unique DIY mocha coffee set?

• white espresso cups

• White porcelain jar with wooden lid

• Spirit for cleaning

• Black porcelain crayon, e.g. from Edding

• Toothpick for touching up

• Oven

• Bialetti espresso maker (not homemade, of course...)

Of course you need cups and a porcelain sugar bowl, white or colored. Before you start, you should clean the porcelain thoroughly with spirit to remove any grease residue so that the paint can adhere well. I opted for a black porcelain crayon because I particularly like the look in black and white, but of course you can combine the colors of porcelain and decorations as you like (you can find a multicolored set of porcelain crayons here). If you like, you can first sketch out the shapes in pencil or start drawing patterns, flowers, stars or kittens (whatever you want on your mugs...). If you make a mistake, you can wipe off the paint for a short time and start again. I applied the geometric patterns circle by circle. For the circles on the saucers, I used upturned glasses, which I went around with the pen to get an even circle. The rest of the shapes were drawn freehand. As I like it minimalist, I didn't want any other shapes on my cups, but of course there are no limits to your imagination. Working with the porcelain crayon is not much different from drawing on paper. Corners and edges can be touched up easily and accurately with a toothpick. The tip scrapes off excess paint, can refine lines and sharpen angles. If necessary, you can also dip the tip of the toothpick in white spirit to remove paint more effectively.

As soon as you are happy with your result, the cups and jar (without the wooden lid, of course) can go into the kiln to be fired as indicated for each porcelain color.

In the photos, my mocha set is staged on a round tray from Ikea, with a handmade lace doily from my great-grandmother and, of course, in the company of the mocha from the best-known brand in Italy that produces these espresso makers for real Italian coffee. The espresso makers are available in different sizes (depending on how many cups you usually want to prepare) and also in different colors, but I particularly like the very classic model made of shiny metal.

PS. Of course, not only mocha sets can be decorated in this way, but also any other porcelain accessories: larger cups, mugs, tins, small bowls, cereal bowls, plates, salad bowls (see also the article "Porcelain tins"). Even old porcelain pieces can be upgraded in this way.

Making espresso with the mocha is a special daily ritual in Italy, an exercise in wisdom, relaxation and hospitality, a bit like the tea ceremony in Japan. If you don't know how to make mocha coffee, you can find instructions here. If you need an espresso/mocha pot, you can find the right one for you here.

What are you waiting for - you can start right away. Have fun! Feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions. I look forward to reading from you!