The Ceramics Cafe

The Ceramics Cafe in Kew is a great place to get creative and wile away a couple of hours, whether with your baby, child or family, or even in a group of adult friends. It’s a charming studio with spacious tables and lots of choice for things to paint.

How it works:

First of all you choose the item that you’d like to paint. There’s a huge selection, including practical items for the home such as plates, bowls and jugs; pots in all sorts of shapes and sizes; piggy banks (not only pig-shaped!); and ornaments of animals, transport, fairies and much more. Back at your table it’s time to get arty! On every table there’s a wide selection of paint colours, brushes of all sizes, and jugs of water to clean your brushes. Near the sink, you’ll find writing paint pens, sponges and stencils for everyone to share. There’s no limit to what you can do; you are free to paint your item exactly how you want it. Just make sure you do three coats of paint if you want nice even, bright colours – any less than this and things might look a bit patchy or washed out. While you’re paining there’s a nice selection of tea, coffee and biscuits to keep you going too.

Of course, one of the most popular things to do is to come away with a hand or footprint of your baby. To do this, simple pick a tile or any other item with a flat surface, paint the bottom of their feet or hand and apply carefully to the item. The staff at the Ceramics Cafe will also be on hand to help if you need it.

Once you’ve finished painting, you leave the items with the studio for firing in the oven. This gives them a glossy finish and makes the colours lovely and vibrant. Items painted on Fridays. Saturdays and Sundays can be picked up from Tuesday afternoon, and items painted on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays can be picked up from Sunday afternoon. And don’t forget to pick up your items! Sadly there are shelves of abandoned pieces that have never been claimed – we spotted one from as far back as 2004 when we were there last.

The Ceramics Cafe in Kew can be found at 1A Mortlake Terrace, Kew Green, Kew TW9 3DT. You can request a booking online, or give them a call on 020 8332 6661. Although booking isn’t always essential, especially if there are only a couple of you, it’s a good idea to phone ahead to make sure there’s space. As well as the main studio, there’s a party room upstairs for up to 24 people.

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