Are you looking for the perfect gift for a friend or family member moving into a new home? It’s not as easy as it sounds.
Without being able to take a full inventory of what they already own, there’s no way of telling what the new dwellers need.
There are certainly some gifts that are more relevant than others, however.
Want to know which those are? We’ll take a look at eleven distinctly useful housewarming gifts that won’t just sit on a shelf in the basement, below.
Table of Contents
1. Doormat
The days when doormats simply said, “Welcome,” are long gone.
Customization gives them a much more personal touch. You could present your friends or family with a doormat that has a picture of the new house or the last names on it.
Or if your friends or family are less sentimental and more humorous, you can show them just how well you know them by giving them a doormat with a funny message. There are many available – though you can customize these as well.
2. Air Plants
Plants make great housewarming gifts. But not everyone has a green thumb.
One way to offer up a little greenery without all the responsibility is with a small bulbous terrarium holding air plants. They’re perfect for mantels, bookshelves, and hanging in a corner.
Terrariums aren’t the only way to give them air plants though. Since air plants are so simple to maintain, companies are finding all sorts of small containers where they can easily live.
There are even pineapple-shaped refrigerator magnets that serve as air plant holders!
3. Travel Herb/Spice Kit
Restocking the kitchen cabinets during a move is a hassle.
So help out your friends and family BEFORE the housewarming party by presenting them with a travel spice kit.
Travel herb and spice kits provide the essentials in small containers. That way, once the new homeowners move in, they’ll be able to get through the first few weeks of quick meals without having to dig through boxes.
4. Mixing Bowls
Your friends or family may already have mixing bowls. But it’s pretty tough to have too many mixing bowls. They’re so dynamic and can be used for more than mixing.
Consider looking for some retro mixing bowls in cool and muted colors that will add personality to their bakeware.
5. Funny Kitchen Towels
Once again, if you’re dealing with people who have a good sense of humor, then they’ll really appreciate kitchen towels with funny messages.
They’re a great way to clean up the inevitable messes while still getting a laugh.
6. Cocktail Bitters Set and Shaker
For the friend or family member with bartending aspirations – or at least a bar in their new house – you can’t go wrong with gifts for the bar.
Liquor choices tend to be very personal. Unless you know them very well, it can be difficult to pick out the ideal whiskey, vodka or gin, for your friends or family members looking to stock the bar at their new home.
But you can’t go wrong with a cocktail bitters set that has standard bitters used in many cocktails. Then toss in a shaker to complete the package.
If the move was particularly rough, you can bet they’ll be putting this gift to good use right away!
7. Custom New Home Wine Label
Maybe the new homeowners are wine lovers.
If you don’t know their favorite wines offhand, do some sleuthing to find out. Then have them send a picture of their new home.
There are now wine-label makers who will customize a label for you.
You can have it printed with a picture of the new home. Then add a personalized message to the label to give it special meaning.
The company will do all of that for you, then put it on your loved ones’ favorite bottle of wine.
8. Steak Knife Set
This might sound strange, but you really can’t go wrong with knives as useful housewarming gifts.
Shelling out for a full-on knife set is expensive though. Instead, opt for a good steak knife set.
The Foxel modern steak knife set is a great gift idea. The knives are made of high-quality German stainless steel at an affordable price.
They’ll cut through that steak like butter.
9. Cheese Knife Set
Staying with the “knives are good” theme, a cheese knife set is a highly practical gift that’s bound to get some good use.
Unless your friends or family members are vegan. And even in that case, they’re likely to have parties with others who eat cheese.
Regardless of whether the home dwellers to-be already have a cheese knife set, there’s nothing wrong with having multiple sets.
Some people consider cheese to be the quintessential party food. So having an additional set of cheese knives allows for multiple cheese boards!
10. Bathroom Guest Book
This is something more of a gag gift. But it could end up being meaningful. You just never know.
Imagine the look when your friends or family open their gift to find a blank book with a stylized cover labeled “Bathroom Guest Book.”
What would you do if you found one in a friend’s bathroom? Wouldn’t you be tempted to write something in it… to make your mark, as it were?
Bathroom humor aside, this is a gift that will certainly leave people talking. And you may just learn something about the other people the new homeowners call friends. It could all be very enlightening…
11. Shower Speaker
If your friend or family member is suddenly American Idol material every time he or she steps in the shower, this could be a great housewarming gift.
There’s also something eye-opening and awakening about music that can make a shower all the more effective for waking up. Even if the person in the shower feels disinclined to sing along.
With the technology for waterproof speakers improving every day, the market for these is expanding. So do your research.
Make Those Housewarming Gifts Count!
Forget the fondue pot or the kitschy wall hangings.
Housewarming gifts that are actually useful will be far more appreciated. They just take a little more thought.
We hope our above list of ideas helps.
And if you’re looking for more great ideas for the home, keep checking back with us!
