There are two kinds of tea for one sets. The first resembles any ordinary tea set with a tray, a creamer, sugar bowl and teapot except that everything including the teapot is smaller than usual. A twelve inch square tray is a nice lap size and also fits well on a writing desk. Dainty tea for one pots are available in the classic 1600s English Brown Betty style. The shape of this tubby little terra cotta teapot is said to produce the best pot of tea in the British tradition. These are not precisely miniature tea sets as one would give to a child, but rather designed for smaller quarters and smaller servings. They are similar to the kind of tea for one sets that used to be passed down the aisles for matinee theatre patrons in London.

The other popular style of tea for one sets is an ingenious design, usually three stacking pieces in a matching pattern. On the bottom is a generously sized saucer. On the saucer sits a cup, also usually a bit larger than standard. It needs to be a bit larger to accommodate the teapot which will rest atop the cup. When removed from the stack, the teapot is filled with tea and water in the usual ritual. After steeping, the tea is poured into the cup, and then the teapot can be replaced atop the cup and used to keep the tea warm while you read the paper or let out the cat.

Sometimes, in the case of more modern designs, there will be no saucer. And in some sets the cup is overturned over the teapot at the top of the stack, serving as a teapot lid.

Victorian, French toile, Asian bamboo and rose garden patterns are among the most popular patterns in tea for one sets. While the antique ones are bound to be more expensive, there are plenty of more modern designs and patterns to be had even at pottery outlets for modest prices.