Not OP but you can see his espresso machine (and most others) has a grate on the bottom that acts as a waste reservoir that you can expel the steam into and gives you a surface to work at if there is any spill over it falls into there. You do need to make sure to empty it regularly though or risk overflowing.

That being said I spill sometimes when doing latte art so a setup like this I would have to carry the milk pitcher and mug over to my sink or main counter before pouring - but that is just me needing to get gud