Sixteen things that make your home look posh: From the right kind of cushions to the wrong type of bedding, property experts take their pick

Money can’t buy you love. And when it comes to the contents of your home, it can’t buy proof that you’re posh either.

Sure, you may be able to kit out your house with the kind of garish, look-at-me decor habitually showcased in celebrity magazines. But the real signs of a home belonging to someone with a posh pedigree are far more subtle.

We’ve spoken to leading industry experts, including interior experts, kitchen designers and business owners, to reveal the subtle signs in a home that scream posh and privilege.

From cutlery and cushions to the size of your TV, here’s our ultimate guide to making sure your home makes the (upper) cut…

Bars of soap

Truly upper-class folk are often faultlessly frugal too (our beloved late Queen being a prime example of someone who hated waste). A good cake of soap from a bar will do well for countless washes while fancy – i.e. common - bottles of liquid run dry fairly quickly. And the plastic is lousy for the planet.

Several dogs (probably cocker spaniels)

A cluster of boisterous, ankle-high hounds smacks of upmarket country living. Reflecting those jolly, outdoorsy types who like nothing more than to stride out into fields with a collection of yapping companions around their wellies.

'Open the door of a posh home and there's no doubt you will be greeted by a number of dogs, the majority of which will be some form of working breed, often utilised on the hunt come the weekend,' says Ruth Beeton, co-founder of Home Sale Pack. 'Although there will inevitably be a smaller, "popular" breed running the show for good measure.'

Worth also noting that the house may smell of wet pooch, while dog hair clings to the sofa. But that's part of the posh package.

Sheets and blankets (not duvets)

When a posh person springs a sickie from work they don't have duvet days - rather, they will creep under crisp Egyptian cotton sheets and elegantly woven blankets. True, duvets mean it's easier to make the bed, but the country house throwback to sheets and blankets is the hallmark of true breeding.

Silver photo frames

In posh homes there are lots of these, often handed down or given to family members for landmark birthdays and anniversaries. They literally frame an upper-class heritage - be it the class photo from some minor public school or anything involving horses.

Butter dishes

Good breeding is beautifully articulated in a pat of butter beached in its own dish. Frankly, it's rather common to allow that whiff of mass-produced packaging on view. A commercially spreadable variety served in its packaging is anathema to the posh household. Far better to unwrap a bar and place it in a butter dish. Ditto for a little pot and spoon for mustard or any other condiments (get that ketchup bottle 'awf' the table).

Boot rooms and and battered gilets

Ah, the hardy sleeveless quilted gilet. Can there be any other item of clothing - save the family tiara - which truly telegraphs upper-class credentials. Especially if it's hung up in a boot room - not the hallway - next to wellies so spattered in mud it's no longer possible to discern their colour (green).

'The specific term boot room is a posh giveaway. Think exposed brick walls, a worn rug perfect for wiping muddy paws, and perhaps a Barbour jacket or two hanging casually on hooks,' says Sylvia James, interior design expert of HomeHow.co.uk.

Counterintuitively, outdoor wear is not a place for designer labels. The more battered and weather-worn the garment, the more authentic its posh credentials.

Mucky Land Rover

Mud screams posh, which is why having a mucky 4x4 out in the drive is a key sign too. There's some weird kind of relativism at play. The posher you are, the less clean you need to be (so long as it's mud). Porsches and Mercedes sports cars scream money - but not class. 'You can a expect to see a splattering of Land Rovers from over the years, most commonly Defenders, ranging from the brand new to the classic shape in Ascot green,' says Ruth Beeton.

Walk-in pantries

A hallmark of the truly posh and, as such, are usually places to store elegantly labelled homemade jams and jars of chutney.

'Walk-in pantries are a hallmark of upscale homes, subtly signalling a level of affluence and sophistication,' says luxury kitchen designer Tom Howley. Unlike standard kitchen cabinets, he points out 'these very much reflect a homeowner's attention to detail and commitment to a well-appointed lifestyle'.

Freshly cut flowers

Really posh homes reflect a love of the land. Not least a well tended garden and the need to bring its fruits inside to brighten up the home - which is why freshly cut flowers are likely to spill from vases when the owner of the house is well bred. A wilting bunch of blooms from the petrol station just won't do. Posh people will never say it with those kinds of flowers.

Open fireplace

The roar of an open fireplace is key to a home with good breeding. It radiates (sorry) so many posh elements. The hard slog of working the land and chopping logs, the throwback to chilly stately homes and a natural focal point to gather round, parlour style, and play games of charades. A crackling log fire will ace even fancy underfloor heating when it comes to showcasing upper-class credentials.

The Aga

Same is true of an Aga - the older and rustier the better. Authentic posh is about being timeless (if frequently cold as you impatiently wait for the damn thing to heat up).

Family cutlery

Look, buying cutlery is so reasonable these days given many of the large supermarkets sell utilitarian packs of knives and forks en masse. But it's nothing like the legacy of family cutlery, which usually requires two hands just to lift one fork, and is likely to be pewter, engraved and freighted with history.

And by the way, acquiring food-specific cutlery is not a sign of good breeding. There have been no fish knives in royal palaces since Edward VII denounced them as 'very common'.

...and don't forget the soup tureen

A gleaming silver tureen nestled among everyday crockery might be a family heirloom, discreetly hinting at generations of posh lunches and dinners.

Cushions made from family tweed

Mutely toned scatter cushions from Next or a nice throw from John Lewis are rarely seen in upper-class homes. A posh family may well have its own seat, both in terms of a country house as well as something to sit on. And if that includes tweed, why not make a cushion out of it?

Small radio in the kitchen

You won't find Alexa in the kitchen (posh people bark at servants, not gadgets). Instead, there will be a small wireless tuned to genteel programmes like Gardeners' Question Time and The Archers (even after that sexy, squelchy shower scene - so much more palatable when provided through sound effects only.)

Same is true of a small TV in the living room. Flatscreens the size of advertising billboards are for chavs. Anyway, who needs 60in TVs - these people don't watch Bridgerton. They are Bridgerton.

Cloth napkins and serviette rings

You may get out the nice napkins for special occasions. But those who have been well bred use cloth napkins even when it's just a modest kitchen supper.

Posh people don't use hideous floral paper serviettes - and pleating them into some fancy shape and wedged in a glass is an absolute no. Instead, it has to be cloth, with the napkin rolled like a tube into a serviette ring.

Anything else displays ghastly table settings (and manners). 'Even the most casual meal is graced with neatly folded linen napkins. Bonus points for monogrammed edges, a subtle display of family,' points out interior design expert Sylvia James.