I’ve been reading Peter Frankopan’s The Silk Road, an ambitious history book focussing on Middle East and Central Asia, and it got me craving pretty new plates. That might sound unlikely, but there is in fact a very logical reason for that: he often talks about porcelain (and specifically traditional Chinese blue-white ware) and uses it as an example of how goods, ideas, technologies and tastes moved between east and west.

I love ceramics, both very elaborate and refined styles and more rustic pieces. While I wouldn’t say it’s the most exciting of options, I’ve always liked blue and white porcelain and I don’t see this changing any time soon. Unfortunately, the favourite service of mine is by the Royal Copenhagen and I need to marry a Danish prince to be able to afford it. Everything else I’ve seen isn’t quite right and I refuse to spend a considerable amount of money on something I only ALMOST adore.

That said, I’d still like to have something in this general style, so what is a girl to do? Antique markets are of course an option and I do own several pieces acquired that way. But hunting for something specific requires a considerable amount of energy, something I seem to lack on Saturday mornings. So I’ve done it the lazy way and bought four plates from Zara Home – if you happen to like the combination of blue and white in your interiors, I suggest you check this spring collection out, there is a cornucopia of stuff in these colours.

I think the plates – dinner, soup and dessert – are especially nice. There are echoes of Villeroy & Boch’s Old Luxembourg design and other romantic-looking popular motifs, but they aren’t exact copies of anything. Cannily, they sell mis-matched sets for that antiques market feel that some people cannot be bothered to achieve the hard way. While this is of course not authentic (surely a contender for the most overused word lately?), the result is quite charming. If you feel like your life is not complete without a few blue and white china plates or you want to bulk up your existing collection (these mix pretty well with more expensive older items), it’s worth taking a look.