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From tech to tableware, mark the big move with these tried-and-tested housewarming gifts
The best housewarming gifts cover multiple bases: they’re stylish, practical, respectfully personal, and don’t take up too much space. Sticking to these guidelines will ensure your present is cherished for years to come, rather than being relegated to the back of a cupboard, re-gifted or only put on display when you visit.
New homemakers will be contending with mountains of boxes for months, so, you don’t want to burden them with anything huge. Whether you choose a nifty gadget for the kitchen, a decorative object for the living room, or a fluffy towel bale for the bathroom, a small but thoughtfully chosen housewarming gift will be a very welcome addition.
With a wealth of gorgeous homewares and collectibles on offer, it’s easy to get carried away and choose something you’d like to see in your own home but picking out the perfect present sometimes involves putting your own taste to one side and considering the homeowners’ personalities, interior style and practical needs.
If you’ve visited their previous pad, you’ll know the type of thing they’re into. If not, it’s probably best to play it safe and opt for a gift that’s stylish, low-key and practical – you really can’t go wrong with luxury home fragrance, tea towels or a set of artisan-made coasters.
Having recently moved into our own new abode, we thought about the kind of gifts we really needed on a practical level, but also the decorative ones that would bring us joy. We considered different budgets, making sure that those on the affordable end were sufficiently well made and durable. We also tested out our practical gifts, such as bakeware, tech, kitchen gadgets and towels over a period of time, to ensure they stood up to heavy use.
While choosing artwork for your home is a subjective pursuit, we couldn’t pass up this Home Sweet Home print. The vibrant giclée print features the simple, welcoming message in retro neon but if you think your giftee won’t like this exact limited-edition print, or you are looking to spend a little less, there are hundreds of prints and paintings to choose from at Artfinder. You can browse through the expertly curated edits, or shop by style, size or price. If you really can’t decide what’s best for the new homemakers, or you’d rather they do the choosing, gift cards are available from as little as £25.
This is another brilliantly affordable, practical gift that’s guaranteed to bring a smile to your recipient’s face. The portable fondue set doesn’t take up too much storage space in the kitchen with its small cast iron pot, stand and accessories, and it’s ideal for intimate gatherings. It comes complete with six colour-coded forks – handy for knowing whose is whose once you’ve lost count of your schnapps intake – while the user-friendly and adjustable burner (use methylated spirits or solid fondue gel), heats up the contents of the pan quickly and evenly. Whether you’re planning on going traditionally Swiss with cheese and bread or you’re dipping marshmallows and strawberries into melted chocolate, this is a gift everyone can enjoy.
House-plant parents will love you for gifting them this stylish pot, which is part of a huge range of colourful and contemporary planters on offer at Pow Pots. We’ve long been fans of this brand for its handmade and hand-painted fibreclay pieces that prove lightweight, frost proof, and actually much stronger than traditional ceramic or terracotta planters. With its metallic accents, the gin and tonic pot is a sophisticated move away from the brand’s typical contemporary brights. While it is undoubtedly a stand-out, it’ll pretty much go with any interior scheme, minimalist, maximalist… you can’t go wrong.
What cosy new home is complete without a wool blanket to snuggle up in? Designed specifically as a sofa throw – although it works as a versatile, go-anywhere blanket – it features double-sided patterning with brighter squares on one side and subtler spots on the other, against a warm beige background. Made in Yorkshire using the finest merino lamb’s wool, it feels luxuriously soft and supple. It proves wonderfully toasty, too, which should stop anyone reaching for the dreaded thermostat too soon this autumn/winter. It’s worth noting the luxe organic fibres make this one a strictly dry clean only product.
There’s nothing like a bright statement cushion to add a bit of cheer to a new home. The Pillow Drop offers a range of beautifully bold and graphic needlepoint cushions, including some playful travel-inspired numbers to remind us of our best adventures. The Amalfi cushion features a bright yellow lemon motif against a vibrant green background with the place name in bold red text. The light and bouncy pad is backed with a darker green velvet, which adds a touch of luxury. This one works best when contrasted with a battered vintage leather sofa or club chair.
We loved this stylish kitchen appliance, which goes some way towards making up for the fact we don’t have an iconic Smeg fridge-freezer in our home (yet). As its name suggests, the personal blender is a diminutive number that boasts the brand’s instantly recognisable 1950s aesthetic and comes in a range of chic mono colourways, including highly covetable pastels. Made for one, it can whip up soups and smoothies in a jiffy and proves reliably durable after multiple uses – as you would expect from a top brand such as Smeg. It feels old-school mechanical, rather than cheap and electrical. Best, though, is the fact it comes with a spare bottle, complete with a nifty handled top, that can be taken on the daily commute.
Hitting that sweet spot between form and function is this cute cherry red baking set designed to go straight from the oven to the table. The stackable stoneware dishes are ideal for casual dinner parties and family get-togethers featuring hearty one-pot meals and sides for everyone to tuck into. We loved the retro-feel embossed branded handles, and the shiny glass porcelain finish. On the practical side, these are microwave-, freezer-, broiler-, and oven-safe up to 300C, while they also boast scratch-resistant properties, ensuring they stay shiny and look like new after multiple uses.
Plants can help create a sense of calm within a home, which is why we’ve chosen this bundle, to welcome residents into their new pad. Included in the bundle is a devil’s ivy, ZZ plant and prayer plant, giving you a variety of textures, leaf patterns, and heights. The trio arrive carefully packaged and with pots included – all you need to do is give them a water and they’re good to go. Of course, a bundle like this does prove expensive but, at Beards & Daisies, you can order individual houseplants from just £6.
Ideal for newly moved in couples, this small bale comprises two bath towels and two hand towels. Featuring a busy pattern of figurative line drawings, the towels bring a chic, contemporary edge to the bathroom – and are a no-brainer as a gift for art-loving friends and family. The kindred towels are available in a choice of three colourways; blush pink, grey or earthy pecan, which we found really looks the part in a bathroom filled with trailing houseplants. Whichever colour you choose, the towels are reversible, with the pattern mirrored in the opposing colours on the underside. They also prove incredibly soft and fluffy.
You can’t go wrong with a bold, contemporary stripe, whether that’s in soft furnishings or indeed ceramics. We love this elevated tray from Oyoy Living Design, thanks to its playful form and its soft caramel and rose colourway. The 100 per cent stoneware dish is a versatile number that looks the part on the dining room table or kitchen top, whether holding fruit or your best multi-layered cake creation. The striped exterior boasts an artisanal chalky matte paint finish, while the rose interior is satisfyingly smooth. For those that love to tablescape, this one brings height, and a craft-driven aesthetic.
Music-lovers will appreciate this nifty Bluetooth speaker, which is impressively waterproof and highly durable, making it an ideal buy for those who like to eat al fresco and keep the barbecue going, even when the odd shower threatens to ruin proceedings. Looking not unlike a tin can, the speaker features ergonomic shaping and is designed to be taken wherever you go – it even comes with a handy clip.
Indoors, it’s suitable for a room size of up to 30 square metres, meaning it’ll give your homemakers far-reaching, top-quality sound, no matter how open-plan their new pad is. They can even take it into the shower.
We loved Dominic Bradnum’s Home Sweet Home limited edition print. It’s stylish, sassy and emotive, and proves a great choice for the hallway. We also loved Beards & Daisies’s bundle of houseplants, which brought a mini jungle to our new pad and made us feel immediately at home. On the more affordable side, we were impressed with the VonShef’s Swiss fondue set. All of these gifts offered great bang for our buck.
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