Me and my mug

My first drink of the day is a basic builder’s tea; but it’s the mug where I get fussy. Because a mug’s style – the weight, the colour, the shape – has the power to alter my mood entirely. Some days call for humour, in which case I reach for my David Shrigley “Everything is Really Good” mug, which features a grotesque thumbs-up based on the sculpture he created for Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth; others call for something more comforting like my stoneware Wave mugs by ceramicist Rachel Gray.

When deadlines are looming I sip improving jasmine tea from a delicate Japanese cup. There are few things more intimate and idiosyncratic than the mug that you love. I asked leading creatives what they like to use when it’s time for their tea break…

Maria Balshaw, Director, Tate

My treasured mug is a Leach Pottery standard ware mug, in ash. I bought it from Leach Pottery directly, as I nearly always visit when I go to see colleagues at Tate St Ives. I only drink coffee from it, my one good cup a day. I use Tate’s own espresso beans, which are grown and produced by women at Guatemala Yolanda Molina in the country’s western highlands. A good cup of coffee gives a moment of pause, and then a sharpening of the mind. Ready for work. The Turner Prize Exhibition is at Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1, until 16 February 2025

Nigel Slater, food writer

Mine is a salt-glaze, stoneware mug made for me by the potter Steve Harrison after a conversation we had about my wish for a particularly capacious mug for herbal tea. The inside should be pale to show the colour of the tea and it would need to be larger than my other cups. I loved it at first sight, partly for its irregular shape, the tactile quality of its deep blue and white glaze and its subtly embedded flowers, but even more for the way it perfectly fitted my hand. Tea in my house invariably involves some sort of ritual, often with the mug placed on a small round tray and usually alongside a treat – often a small slice of cake or a biscuit from Quince, my local bakery. A Thousand Feasts: Small Moments of Joy… a Memoir of Sorts by Nigel Slater, is published by Harper Collins at £20

Melissa Chiu, Director, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC

This porcelain teacup is one in a set of four, each identified with a season. It was a gift from a friend who was visiting from Asia. The cup is shaped like a flower with a crackle interior glaze. It’s small by American standards and intended to only allow for a few sips. I love using it because it seems like the perfect proportion and weight when you hold it. Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860-1960 is on view at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC, until 20 April 2025

Dominic Chambers, artist

This was a gift from a close friend. There are dried splotches of oil paint on the surface, evidence of the frequency with which I use it in the studio. My favourite detail is the subtle grooves on the handle, which allow my thumb to rest comfortably as I hold it. I use it to drink coffee and various teas including Yogi’s Licorice Tea with Egyptian Spices. I also sometimes drink red wine from it during the evening and late-night hours in the studio. It has become a supporting character in my studio. Dominic Chambers is at Lehmann Maupin, 1 Cromwell Place, London SW7, until 9 November

Timothy D’Offay, founder, Postcard Teas

My favourite coffee mug was made by Steve Harrison for his wife Julia, so it’s known as the Julia mug. I bought it on a visit to Steve’s studio in Enfield. Steve’s mugs are much lighter than you expect when empty but perfect when filled with liquid. Sometimes Steve’s handles can look theatrical but they always seem just right in your hand, a bit like a beautifully balanced bat. Sixteen Generations is at Postcard Teas, 9 Dering Street, London W1, until 19 November 

Henry Holland, founder and creative director of Henry Holland Studio

I made my mug in my first-ever pottery class in 2020. It was inspired by my mum’s collection of art deco ceramics and it is still one of the bestselling pieces in our collection. It has such sentimental value as it was the catalyst for me leaving fashion to become a ceramicist and start building my new company, and life. I drink very strong black coffee out of it. henryhollandstudio.com  

Edmund de Waal, artist, potter and author

I have a small porcelain cup. I start my day with it. It was made by Sun Kim, a hugely talented maker, a potter whose vessels are widely celebrated. It has a soft pale glaze, a little like fur, a turned-in lip, a footing – the recess in the base of a pot – to accommodate a finger or two as you hold it. And no handle. I spent the most significant years of my training in Japan and grew to love the way that you hold a cup or tea bowl with your hand, not away from you with a handle. This cup has accompanied my studio life for almost 20 years. I have written books with this nearby and it has sat next to my potter’s wheel. It is perfect for a cortado. Playing with Fire: Edmund de Waal and Axel Salto is at Kunstsilo, Norway, until 2 March 2025

Vincenzo de Cotiis, architect and founder of Vincenzo de Cotiis Foundation, Venice

A Rallye 24 white and black mug by Hermès. It is discontinued now. It is sleek and elegant, with a minimalist yet sophisticated design, marrying design with function. I drink strong, aromatic coffee made in my Alessi Conica Moka pot. Archaeology of Consciousness Venice is at the Vincenzo De Cotiis Foundation, Venice, until 24 November

Nathan Clements-Gillespie, director, Frieze Masters

This ceramic matcha bowl was a gift from a dear friend in Korea. It reminds me of my travels to Korea for Frieze Seoul and the incredible people I have met, and beautiful friendships forged. Drinking tea is also about dedicating time to people. I brew Mariages Frères’ Éros tea in the evening when I come home from work. Frieze Masters is at The Regent’s Park, alongside Frieze London, 9 to 13 October

David Shrigley, artist

My artworks have decorated many different mugs. My favourite, and the one I use myself, is, “The tea is alive. It will live inside you.” The drawing was the most oblique thing I could think of to say about tea. I do not know what it means; though I would like it known that I have nothing against tea. I think tea is generally a good thing. shrigshop.com

@alicelascelles