H&M has perfected elevated kitchen basics

As a first-time homeowner still recovering from the financial hit of buying a flat, I have become a master at faking my way to an expensive-looking home on a tight-budget. I’ve found one of the best tricks is picking up timeless home accessories that have a quiet luxury flair, which is something that H&M has mastered with its spring kitchen collection.

Home accessories are one of the best and most affordable ways to make your kitchen look more luxe than it is. I might be a long way off being able to afford a gorgeously veined Carrara marble kitchen worktop, but I can stretch to H&M’s £13 green marbled spoon rest to add texture and sophistication to my laminate kitchen worktop.

Every piece in H&M’s spring cooking and dining range has been elevated with a beautifully simple design and gorgeous materials. The ceramic colander and the two-pack mixing bowls with their reactive glaze are the perfect examples of this, everyday cooking tools that become beautiful objects you’ll want on display. They’re the type of items I’d expect to find on display in Nigella or Jamie Oliver’s kitchen.

Mango wood is also a big feature of this collection. It’s been a huge kitchen trend this year, and a lovely deep brown version has been used to create the H&M chopping boards. You could layer a couple of these boards along the back of a kitchen worktop to update a tired splashback, or I like to use them to hide ugly plug sockets for that Pinterest-worthy kitchen look.

I’ve rounded up 12 of the best new cooking and dining pieces at H&M right now that will not only make your kitchen look expensive, but feel expensive too. These elevated basics and little luxuries like the stoneware matcha set will help you fake it ’til you make it. And the best part? Nothing on this list will cost you more than £35!

You might not be able to afford the most expensive dining table, or new kitchen cabinets. But I’ve learnt that a beautiful tablecloth, a tea pot and some artisan-looking mugs are timeless staples that always make a kitchen look fancier than it actually is.