In Search Of Perfectly Imperfect Brown Mugs (Plus 6 On My Wish List)

I have spent more time than I’d like to admit combing the depths of the internet for one very specific item: the vintage brown ceramic mug that Sybil, the prickly matriarch played by Diane Keaton, uses in The Family Stone. And all the more so this year.

Maybe you know the mug I mean? Glossy, ochre-brown, and as imperfect and undeniably cozy as the rest of the Stone house, it’s beloved by those (like me) who rewatch the movie as much for the plot as for the set design. There are Reddit threads about this mug, and—I’ve just found out—TikToks. (“What’s your favorite piece of ceramic ware from a film?” one user recently asked. You betcha—it’s this mug.) You can glimpse it here, or at the 23-minute mark in the movie, if you’re watching.

Another holiday season is upon us, and my dogged search continues. But in my sleuthing I’ve noticed that brown earthenware ceramics like Sybil’s ’70s mug are having something of a renaissance. Earthy, drippy, handmade ceramics fell out of fashion in years past in favor of prim white mugs and uniform glazes, but perfectly imperfect pottery mugs are back. Call it Family Stone core, or maybe a yearning for objects and houses that are more lived-in and welcoming than they are picture perfect.

Your local thrift shop or secondhand likely has more than a few brown ceramics to choose from; alternatively, here are TK rustic options—both vintage and from small-batch makers—that scratch my Family Stone itch.