We've all had that dreadful realization when 10 or so of our closest friends are over for an evening of fine wine and good conversation. They trickle in, one by one, two by two. We take their coats into the bedroom, show them to the living room, offer them a drink. Red, white? Sure, no problem.
Then Andrea finally arrives, as tardy as ever - and very thirsty. So it's off to the kitchen to retrieve some pinot. We reach into the cupboard for a glass and ... nothing. Out of proper glasses.
Poor Andrea has to settle for her drink in the mug that says, "Working hard? Or hardly working?"
So the classy wine-in-mug routine doesn't work, but keeping a huge store of stemware doesn't work either. It's not practical to have dozens of glasses sitting unused for the 353 days of the year we're not entertaining.
Icelandic designer Hrafnkell Birgisson wouldn't have this problem - he'd just have cupboards full of his High Cups.
Birgisson takes old teacups - he finds beautiful vintage ones, most often with floral prints - and affixes a wine stem to the bottoms. Voila: teacup stemware.
"It's a sophisticated way to sip tea," says Dimitra Doufekas of Up To You Toronto, a boutique that sells the cups in Canada. "But if you want to brighten up your next cocktail party, you could use them for wines or drinks."
Imagine that: By day, a cup for tea that'll wow Grandma when she drops by. By night, a one-of-a-kind glass for beverages that'll charm even Andrea. And a bonus: Say goodbye to those dusty wineglasses that have taken over every nook and cranny of the kitchen.
Doufekas says the High Cups ($75 each) are quite popular, especially as a housewarming gift. They're perfect for that friend who had five too many mugs at his or her last house. Spare future party guests such a cruel fate.
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