Decor & Design • 02/14/2024
The Best Housewarming Gifts for First-Time Homeowners
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Moving into a new house is as exciting as it is chaotic, especially for first-time home buyers. It can also be hard on the wallet. Help your friends and family settle into their new lifestyle with these thoughtful housewarming gifts.
Wind Chimes
Simple yet tasteful, wind chimes lend an air of elegance to the yard, turning it into a peaceful retreat. Look for styles that complement the home’s exterior.
Toolbox With Tools
One of the most practical housewarming gifts you can give first-time homeowners is a toolkit. Find one that has basic tools — like screwdrivers, a hammer, and a wrench set — to give your friends a head start on their DIY journey.
Custom Address Sign
A personalized address sign — meant for a home’s exterior — is a great housewarming gift that truly makes a new place feel like a home.
Snack Basket
Sometimes, the best gift is one that won’t take up any shelf space. A snack basket is ideal for people who already have everything they need to furnish their home.
Wine
Likewise, a bottle of wine is one of those classic housewarming gifts most people will appreciate. Cheers to a new chapter in life!
Birdfeeder
A birdfeeder and a bag of seed can turn a boring yard into a birdwatching haven. This is an especially great gift for anyone who works from home, since they probably spend more time than they’d care to admit staring out their office window. Liven up their view — and their day — by helping them become the birder they always dreamed of being.
Painting of Their Home
A custom painting of a person’s new digs is the perfect housewarming gift. Create it yourself if you’re handy with a brush. Or, you can commission an artist to make a one-of-a-kind painting for you.
Chess Set
Help your friends or family stock their new board game closet with one of the world’s oldest competitive games.
Ladder
Many homeowners overlook this must-have tool when shopping for their new space. A ladder is one of those household items you might think you can live without — that is, until you have to change a lightbulb on a vaulted ceiling. Even a small stepladder is a simple but very practical housewarming gift.
Shop Vac
In keeping with the theme of practicality, a shop vac is really handy to have around. It’s essential for anyone who spends time woodworking, crafting with beads, or growing indoor plants, tackling tough messes with ease. A shop vac also makes short work of vacuuming shelves and the edges of a room.
Houseplants
Who doesn’t love a hard-to-kill houseplant like devil’s ivy, monstera, mother-in-law’s tongue, or spider plant? Side note — why do all the best plants have such creepy names?
Chef’s Knife
For the friend who loves to cook, you can’t go wrong with a well-crafted kitchen knife. Bonus points if you personalize it with an engraved blade or handle.
Salsa Bowl
Even first-time house buyers often have a fully stocked cabinet of plates, bowls, and cups. But do they have a designated salsa bowl? This fun housewarming gift is a mainstay of hosting Taco Tuesday — which you plan on being invited to very soon — and for livening up any birthday party.
Cocktail Glasses
Another dish many people forget to buy for themselves is the humble yet sophisticated cocktail glass. Purchase a set of glasses for your martini-loving friends or buy a single, personalized glass that speaks volumes about your friendship.
Cookbook
The internet is great for many things, but looking up recipes isn’t one of them. If you’ve ever been forced to read someone’s life story when searching for a simple pasta recipe, you understand the importance of an actual, printed cookbook. Cookbooks also make great kitchen shelf decor.
Blender
Useful for making everything from salsa to smoothies, a blender is an essential kitchen appliance. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to whip up their own frappuccinos or delve into the world of homemade hummus.
Hammock
Who doesn’t enjoy lounging in a hammock? Even on a small apartment patio, a hammock makes it easy to enjoy the outdoors without breaking a sweat.
Doormat
Everyone needs a place to wipe their feet, especially when they’re about to enter their new home!
Salt Lamp
Surprising though it may be, a chunk of unrefined salt can actually be a beautiful statement piece when lit from within. Salt lamps are a popular housewarming gift for anyone — they’re gorgeous, easy to clean, and can bring much-needed light to the darkest corners of the house.
Custom Christmas Ornament
Know someone who lives for the holiday season? A Christmas ornament with a personalized photo, message, or artwork on it is a sweet gift, and it can serve as a yearly reminder of your friendship.
Personalized Candle
A candle is already a sweet housewarming gift, but it becomes even more meaningful if you personalize it. Look for sustainable candles made from soy, coconut, beeswax, and other natural ingredients besides paraffin, which is a byproduct of refining petroleum products. Although burning paraffin may not be harmful to indoor air quality, obtaining it is still bad for the planet. Plant- and beeswax-based candles are more environmentally friendly.
Fire Extinguisher
Where there are candles, there’s fire. Every homeowner needs a fire extinguisher, yet many people forget to buy one for themselves, making this one of the most practical housewarming gifts you can give.
Scent Diffuser
A great gift for anyone afraid of candle fires.
Laundry Basket With Cleaning Supplies
A practical take on the classic gift basket, a laundry basket and cleaning supplies can be a really thoughtful, useful present. Include supplies such as:
- Sponges
- Scrub brushes
- Dish soap
- Dishwasher pods
- Disinfecting spray
- Paper towels
- Reusable cleaning rags
- Microfiber cloths
- Glass cleaner
- Toilet bowl cleaner
- A toilet brush
Gift Cards to Local Stores
Not sure what to buy? Sometimes, the best course of action is to let your friends or family shop for themselves.
A gift card to a nearby hardware store, garden center, or grocery store is one of the best housewarming gifts you can give. Best of all, you know the money won’t go toward something boring and responsible like paying off a mortgage — it will be used for something tangible that enriches people’s lives.
Giving Thoughtful Housewarming Gifts
Whether your friends have a green thumb or love to decorate, there’s a perfect present out there for everyone. With the right housewarming gift, you can help your loved ones turn a new house into a home.
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