Just when you thought mugs were incapable of being further innovated, here comes a new and creative variant that simplifies that little act of squeezing that burst of flavor out of your teabag.

A play on slingshot, the SlingsHOT follows a similar pull-and-release motion as you draw the string up through a pre-cut slot in the side, which in turn puts pressure on your teabag while keeping it from popping entirely out.

Designed by Samir Sufi, this simple tweak means no more messing with fingers of spoons if you are the type (as this author is) who is inclined to get the most out of each and every teabag, but who never thought there could be a simpler way.

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Avid coffee drinkers are well aware of the frustration of the coffee ring: that nasty brown circle left on the table after you pick up your mug. No matter how hard you try to sip without dripping, it seems that one or two little drips always make their way down the side of the mug to mar whatever it’s sitting on. That can be a big problem if your furniture is on the lighter colored or more porous side.

Designer Kim Keun Ae has come up with an ingeniously simple solution to this rampant problem. The Drop Rest mug has a single small groove near the bottom of the mug. The groove uses the principle of surface tension to catch and hold those tiny little droplets and prevent them from reaching the very bottom of the mug.

Even turning the mug sideways when there are droplets captured in the groove (with the main chamber of the mug empty, of course) won’t free the little drops of java. They’re held securely until you wash the mug, which would probably take a bit more effort than washing a normal, non-grooved mug. But since the errant drop channel isn’t that deep, it would probably be fine.

Of course, you could just use a coaster under your morning cup of coffee. But unless you’re always quite meticulous about where you set your coffee down, you’re better off just stopping the drips before they invade the mug’s bottom. The Drop Rest mug is only a concept and not a product that you can actually purchase, but we’re hoping some wise manufacturer will partner with the designer to make this brilliant idea happen.

In the meantime, check out another great idea to prevent coffee ring stains. The Maze Coffee Mug & Saucer set features an embossed pattern on the saucer that turns coffee spillage into entertainment when you’e bored.

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Stir your coffee or tea and you are left with one last step: either leave the spoon in place or find somewhere to set it down. And then things start to settle, and you have to pick that same stirrer back up again.

In the absence of a saucer, we all know the sound of spoons bouncing around as you move or carry your cup. This project presents one of the simplest possible solutions to the problem.

Lee Hae Seung Scott is not solving the world’s most pressing problems, yet this elementary twist on an everyday object is a great example of the small things often overlooked by designers – particularly in spaces where most assume every solution has already been found.

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There is something both daunting and delightful about tackling a traditional object design that has already stood the test of time. On the one hand, most established designs of everyday objects are nearly impossible to improve. On the other hand, if you can indeed add something, it provides a whole new perspective on an object everyone thought was set in stone. The standard coffee mug design is a great example. What would you change that actually adds functionality and not just novelty?

Consider the Red Dot design award-winning Bevel Cup by Gao Fenglin & Zhou Buy of Nanoin Design, designed to stay cleaner in storage than mugs sitting right-side-up or upside-down. It also makes for easier drainage when letting them dry either on a shelf or a rack.

The designers say their process is “micro design,” using traditional Chinese philosophy to balance the relationships between humans, objects and the environments. If equilibrium is the goal, they’ve certainly achieved that here with this design.

More from the designers

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Some are friendly and furry, and others look poised to snap you with claws or wrap you with tentacles – from spiders to swans, you never know what you will find at the bottom of these “Creature Cups” coffee (or tea) mugs.

The exterior of each one is conspicuously identical and unassuming, so for guests come to visit for the first time, the shock will definitely catch them off guard – for those in the know, though, they will still always get a little surprise with their final sips.

“Each design comes in a color specific to its theme. The Creatures of the SEA have the Wedgewood Blue exterior.  Creatures of the LAND have the Cobalt Blue exterior. The Creepy Cups have the Black exterior. The Limited Editions will vary in an array of colors. “

“The volume measurement does include the creature, which will reduce the volume by 0.5-2oz depending on the creature.  The creatures do not scale with the cup, so the creature in the 11oz is the same size as the 15oz. All 11oz cups are 3.2″ height and 4.1″ diameter, weighing 0.8lbs.  All 15oz cups are 3.5″ height and 4.2″ diameter, weighing 1lb. Creature bowls are 25 oz. with dimensions of 3″ height and 7″ diameter.”

More about the creators, a company called Yumi-Yumi:

Creature Cups® was founded in 2010 by an avid coffee-drinking designer while working late nights in a Brooklyn, NY studio.  We draw inspiration from all parts of life, from the coffee in the morning to the gargoyles on the Notre Dame Cathedral.  Concepts and designs are created in our new studio in Austin, TX.   Creature Cups® draws a wide array of audience, from design kitchen enthusiasts to the cult followers of H.P. Lovecraft.  Join us as we create, staying current, thought provoking, humorous, fun.  And, always caffeinated.

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Coasters are curious things – they inhibit behavior at the most uninhibited events: gatherings of family and friends around common tables. As the night wears on, you either have to have fun or stress about whether guests are setting down their hot glasses correctly.

This nifty prototype by Tigere Chiriga is soon to become a mass-produced reality, already more-than-funded on Kickstarter. The goal is 500 units in US production as proofs of concept (with kickbacks in the form of mugs to contributors).

The first versions – shown here – were made in China. After enough friends asked where they were purchased, the answer became obvious: the should be made available for purchase.

“In December of 2008, I had just relocated to North Carolina from New York when I came up with the idea of a “floating mug”. My wife and I had just recently married and we purchased our first home along with all new furniture. As you can imagine, transitioning from a small NY apartment shared between 3 brothers, meant my wife had a lot of training to do. I would get yelled at all the time for some of my more notable work.”

“So I’m a huge tea drinker, and I have come across numerous designs for cups that have some kind of built in coaster, however, the design’s fell short of what I was looking for. For one thing, I love the feel of warm porcelain as I’m sipping a hot cup of tea or coffee, so the mug needed to be made of porcelain while maintaining the unique design. It also needed to be functional while pleasing to the eye. With this is mind, the very next time I went to reach for a banana off the banana holder, the concept hit me like stain on wood. That’s when the floating mug concept was born.”

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Most of us already have a few too many cups in the cupboard, but if you were staring from scratch, this would be one interesting way to build up a collection.

Stack them or set them side by side to spell out words – heck, get enough and you could set them on a giant coaster-material Scrabble board or use them as the basis of a huge non-alcoholic drinking game.

“The typography on this cup is drawn by the world renowned Danish architect Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971). The letters were originally created in 1937 for internal signage at Aarhus City Hall. Now you can enjoy Arne Jacobsen’s elegant typography on your personal cup. Use it for coffee, pencils, your toothbrush – or get an “S” as a sugar bowl. Your table will love it.”

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Blink and you might miss it – squint or set it against a white tablecloth and you can see it. The effect appears at the periphery of the senses, but is powerful in its subtlety.

The series is called “Undertone” by Kristine Bjaadal, and it’s a brilliant way to bring the slightest bit of color and interest to an otherwise monochromatic table setting.

The underside of each dish is painted around the rim right up to the edge, but from above each plate, cup and saucer appears entirely simple and white.

Designer Kristine Bjaadal remarks, “the plates are coloured on the underside of the rim. This colour is not seen directly, but is reflected onto the table or onto another plate underneath, and is merely seen as a coloured shadow. You may not notice this subtle decoration at first glance; hence it may come as a surprise when you finally notice it.”

“Every plate is unique. The rims are hand painted, and small masked out butterflies are hiding in the colour to give you an extra greeting when you turn the plate to see where the coloured shadow comes from. For use in restaurants the pattern can easily be customized. The prototype of the decoration was made by Figgjo on Figgjo’s set Europa, designed by Olav Joa.”

As for the designer herself:

“Kristine Bjaadal is an Oslo-based Norwegian designer whose work combines the functional with the sculptural. In her work she focuses on everyday life; her practice is driven by the desire to turn daily routine into rituals that can be appreciated. Her works have a poetic quality where use of materials and design united give associations to sculpture as well as to their intended use.”

“Bjaadal’s work spans from product design for commercial clients to handmade small scale production of crafts objects. The latest few years she has also been working increasingly with exhibition design.”

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Inspired by plastic pop-out modeling sets, this collection of coffee-oriented tableware (likewise made via a single-injection mold) contains everything you need to accomplish the task at hand … and replant some coffee after the fact.

However, unlike its petroleum-based predecessors, each (spoon, cup and saucer) set is in this case constructed from non-polluting, fully-biodegradable organic materials, and comes complete with spare beans for post-beverage replanting.

Cheap, stackable and eco-friendly, the concept still has a few kinks to be ironed out – for example, breaking down parts to put in the cup-turned-planter portion (as growth mediums) sounds somewhat implausible, and having to stick some portions in the ground makes the whole thing less practical as well.

It would also be nice to see models or renderings of the process in greater detail. Still, this so-called Coffee Kit by Joana Carvalho shows some promise … even if it is only, for now, the seed of a more well-resolved design idea.

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Artist and designer Sebastian Errazuriz is best known for his incredible mind-bending furniture, but he also consistently makes some of the most novel and innovative objects we’ve ever seen. His design objects are lesser known works, but no less deserving of the spotlight (and no less weird than the rest of his stuff.) Take, for instance, items you might find in any ordinary kitchen or dining room, except… stranger.

Perfect for any pair of lovers (or at least good friends), this split cup-and-saucer design is a good excuse to get close to someone you care about – or perhaps get to know a stranger better at your local coffee shop. It’s called T for Two, and was produced in collaboration with the manufacturer Kikkerland.

Fruit bowls are typical centerpieces of many dining room tables, so why not cut or carve a bowl right into the wood of the table itself? Clever and simple, each of these ideas is at least inspiring if not downright practical or conventional. Sebastian has also created some curious works in the realm of fashion, including an all-zipper dress and a stuffed animal fur coat.

About Sebastian Errazuriz

“Chilean born, New York based Artist, Designer and Activist , Sebastian Errazuriz received international acclaim for his original and provocative works on a variety of disciplines. Blurring the boundaries between contemporary art, tech and design. His work is always surprising and compelling, inviting the viewer to look again at realities that were often hidden in plain sight.”

“In 2019 Sebastian Errazuriz presented Blue Marble, a monumental public live video of Earth from a NASA satellite as an attempt to provide a platform to see ourselves from a macro perspective. Errazuriz. In 2015 Errazuriz was invited by Times Square Arts to present his public art installation ‘A Pause in the City that Never Sleeps’ on 50 giant screens in Times Square. The same year Errazuriz was the honoree for the Gala of the NY Museum of art and Design. In 2014 Sebastian Errazuriz was subject of a Museum retrospective at The Carnegie Museum of Art. He was also invited to give 2 Tedx Talks. Gestalten launched a monograph of his work in 2013.”

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Anyone who has lived alone knows that coffee mugs left strewn about the apartment often end up serving very unplanned functions including being used as trash or storage devices. This creative set of alternative coffee mugs by Suck.UK skip over the interim step of being used as actual drinking cups and go straight to their second life.

“Products with heart, for the heart of your home. From the novice baker to the experienced chef, there is something for everyone with our one of a kind kitchen range. Let our range inspire your next culinary experience. Stock up the bar and prepare to entertain with our extensive range of bottle openers.”

“Brighten and add some personality to any room with our playful take on home décor. Uniquely designed to inject some character and make your house a home. Transform your living space with our curated range for the bedroom, kitchen and lounge.”

Never thought to buy a clever cow creamer for your guests? No worries. Want to practice your golf shot? These have you covered. Broke your ashtray or too lazy to get it across the room? Tip your smoke right here. Hate carrying around change in your pocket? Dump it in and save it for later.

Aside from the humorous aspect of these designs there is, perhaps, also a subtle philosophical reflection in these objects – a commentary on how we use everyday items in unusual ways and take these alternative uses for granted. After all, who doesn’t love a good multipurpose item? 

SUCK UK is kind of like a Spencer’s Gifts; it’s full of gag gifts, novelty items and stuff that’s kind of ridiculous, as the name implies. But there’s also some cool stuff to be found, and their selection is constantly changing. Check them out for stocking stuffers and the like.

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The process of saturation that occurs when mixing water, tea leaves, herbs and/or fruits together in a blend is an essential part of the experiential process of making tea – and similar processes lie behind many of our favorite beverage mixtures. One designer has thought of a way to humorously play with this ancient tradition and call out this core element of the tea infusion saga.

While ”Sharky” the tea-infusing shark floats around the surface of your glass or mug, you can watch the slow process of color-and-texture changing that occurs within your drink. Whether you want something as playful as the old shark-in-your-soup pun spilling blood-in-the-water is debatable, but the idea is certainly novel.

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