Buying a home is no small matter: On top of being a major financial investment, buying a home means making the space entirely one’s own — whether through decorating or renovating. As a homeowner myself, I can attest to just how overwhelming the homebuying process can be — between looking at houses, securing a mortgage and actually moving, it takes a lot out of you. But finally getting the keys to a new home is something worth celebrating – especially once all those boxes are unpacked.
SKIP AHEAD Useful housewarming gifts | Unique housewarming gifts | Fun housewarming gifts
If you’re looking to congratulate someone on their new home with a gift, Select rounded up some of the best housewarming gifts at various price points for every type of homeowner, whether you want to give them something fun or practical.
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The best housewarming gifts for new homeowners
When it comes to housewarming gifts, stores like West Elm, Pottery Barn and Crate + Barrel are known for their registries. Major retailers like Amazon, Target and Bed Bath & Beyond also carry everything from kitchenware and home accents to tech and small appliances. Below, we highlighted some standout gifts based on previous coverage and Select reader interest.
Useful housewarming gifts
Lodge 6-Quart Cast Iron Enamel Dutch Oven
A Dutch oven is the original kitchen multitasker: It can be used for everything from roasting chicken or slow cooking stew to baking bread. In our guide to Dutch ovens, Stefano Veila, a chef with decades of experience, said the enameled cast iron Dutch ovens from Lodge are his favorite. They’re water- and rust-resistant, work on any stovetop and are designed for even heating, according to the brand.
Our Place Always Pan
The popular Always Pan is designed to replace eight kitchen essentials, according to the brand: the fry pan, saute pan, steamer, skillet, saucier, saucepan, non-stick pan and spoon rest. Select writer Kala Herh said that after she invested in one, she threw out her other cookware. The Always Pan also comes in several standout colors, including Spice (a shade of pink), Heat (a deep red) and Blue Salt.
Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance A19 LED Starter Kit
Smart bulbs may sound a bit boring, but they are actually a cool housewarming gift. With a set of smart lights, homeowners can control everything from the power to the brightness of their lights both with voice commands and via smartphone. These Philips Hue Smart Lights can be adjusted to more than 16 million hues and are compatible with any Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant device. The bulbs typically last 23 years and fit in most light fixtures, according to Philips.
Amazon Echo Show 15
The Amazon Echo Show 15 smart display is one of the latest releases in the Echo lineup. Unlike Amazon’s other smart devices, this one can be mounted to the wall or sit on a flat surface. It uses Amazon’s AZ2 Neutral Edge processor, which enables a new visual ID feature that scans faces to display each person’s calendar events, reminders and more, according to the brand.
Aura Mason Luxe
The Aura Mason Luxe is one of our favorite digital photo frames. The 9.7-inch frame can display both photos and videos in either landscape or portrait mode and offers unlimited storage, according to Aura. Users can upload photos and videos from anywhere with the Aura app, so you can share access with family members all over the world.
Personalized Keurig K-Mini Plus
If you’re shopping for a housewarming gift for a coffee lover, Keurig has personalized brewers that you can customize with monograms, names, patterns and more. The K-Mini Plus model can brew cups of coffee from 6 ounces to 12 ounces and has a Strong Brew function for more intense coffee brews, according to the brand. At less than 5 inches wide, it fits in small spaces, too. It also comes with a storage space for up to nine K-Cup pods.
West Elm Silky Tencel Sheet Set
Most people appreciate any gift that can help them get a more comfortable night’s rest. I personally upgraded to these West Elm Tencel sheets after I bought my condo, and I’m a big fan of how silky smooth they are. The fabric is designed to be moisture-wicking and expel heat, according to the brand, which is great for hot sleepers.
CB2 Voir Clear Glass Vase
A vase makes a great housewarming gift because many people don’t think to invest in one until they need it (speaking from personal experience). This handblown glass vase from CB2 has an 8-inch opening to fit larger arrangements and a simple but chic white polka dot design. To make this gift extra special, you can fill the vase with fresh flowers.
Target Gift Card
If you’re not sure what your new homeowner friends or loved ones want or need, or if they’re just super picky, giving a gift card is a safe bet. Choose one from a large retailer like Target to ensure they’ll be able to find a great gift for themselves, whether they’re looking for throw pillows or a toaster.
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Unique housewarming gifts
Custom Welcome Mat
A personalized welcome mat with the homeowners’ last name on it will help make their new house a home. You can choose from four sizes: 18 inches by 18 inches, 24 inches by 16 inches, 30 inches by 18 inches or 36 inches by 24 inches.
Mosser Glass Colored Cake Stand
Bakers and hosts alike will make good use of this vintage-inspired cake stand from Mosser Glass. Available in three sizes and six colors, the cake stand is made of color flint glass and has a glass dome lid that is sold separately.
Shutterfly Signature Gallery Address Label
With a new home comes a new address, and these custom labels make snail mail easy. You can customize the label with the last name and address (of course), and you can choose from an array of colors.
Custom Map Serving Tray
Whether they love to host or just need something to dress up their dining room table, this custom map tray can honor a place that’s special to the homeowners, like the place they got married or the location of their new house. The mango wood serving tray shows three square miles around whichever address you choose to feature.
Truff Hot Sauce Variety Pack
For new homeowners who love hot sauce, help christen their refrigerator with this variety pack from artisanal condiment brand Truff. The set includes three of the brand’s most popular truffle-infused hot sauces: The Original, Hotter and White Truff. The sauces come in a gift-worthy sleek matte black box adorned with white foil letters.
Russ & Daughters New York Brunch
Takeout and meals with minimal prep (sometimes eaten on still-packed boxes) are key in the first days after moving to a new home. So surprise your new homeowners with this lavish brunch delivery from Russ & Daughters. The spread includes 1 pound of smoked salmon, six bagels, 1 pound of cream cheese, a chocolate babka, 1 pound of coffee, a tote bag and a ceramic mug. It also ships free nationwide.
Blueland The Clean Essentials
If your friends or loved ones care about the environment, give them Blueland’s popular Clean Essentials set for their new place. The set is Safer Choice-certified (one of two EPA-run certification programs) and it comes with four reusable bottles as well as dissolvable tablets to make hand soap, multi-surface cleaner, bathroom cleaner and glass and mirror cleaner.
Pothos Plant
For those who are not adept at keeping plants alive but would love something green in their new home, gift them a low-maintenance indoor plant. The Pothos plant can grow in virtually any indoor environment with medium to bright indirect light, according to Jean Berg, general manager of Philips Interior Plants & Displays. And this Pothos from Easyplant comes in a self-watering pot that simply need to be refilled once a month, according to the brand.
West Elm Estelle Colored Glass Stemless Wine Glasses
For a classic housewarming gift like wine glasses, forget the stemmed glassware and go for stemless wine glasses. They can be used for drinks and cocktails as well as wine and are typically much less likely to tip over and spill. These hand-blown glasses come in a set of six and are available in several colors.
Fun housewarming gifts
Anker Nebula Projector
Homeowners who are TV or movie junkies may appreciate the Anker Nebula Projector. “This projector produces some of the highest quality images I’ve ever seen, and its speaker is omnidirectional, so it sounds like I have a surround-sound speaker setup in my room,” wrote Select writer Hanna Horvath, who invested in the Nebula early in the pandemic. She also noted that the projector works well in bright light and has popular streaming apps pre-installed.
CTFT Cheese Board and Knife Set
If you’re celebrating a new homeowner who’s impressed by the epic charcuterie boards plastered all over Instagram, a cheese and charcuterie set could be a fun housewarming gift. Select writer Mili Godio uses this one from CTFT, and she appreciates the hidden tool tray to store the included accessories. The bamboo board comes with four small cheese knives as well as two pieces of chalk and two slate labels to identify various cheeses and charcuterie.
Williams Sonoma Encore Bar Tool Set
This bar tool set has many of the essentials for making a cocktail — it comes with a strainer, a bottle opener, ice tongs, a stirring spoon, a double-sided jigger and a stand to neatly store everything. All of the tools are dishwasher-safe, too, according to the brand, so post-cocktail clean-up should be a breeze.
Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker
In our guide to ice cream makers, experts told us that it doesn’t take cooking skills to make ice cream at home. So new homeowners can have fun breaking in their kitchen with this ice cream maker from Cuisinart. It makes ice cream, yogurt, sorbet and sherbet all at the turn of a dial, and it has three condiment dispensers to hold favorite toppings.
Royal Craft Wood Luxury Bathtub Caddy
Help create a spa-like experience in your loved ones’ new bathroom with a bath tray. This one is crafted from bamboo wood and is designed to hold a wine glass, book, tablet, candle and more. It’s fully adjustable, so it should fit almost any bathtub, according to the brand.
Ticket To Ride
Strategy game Ticket to Ride came highly recommended by Lincoln Damerst, the director of media at BoardGameGeek, in our guide to board games for adults. Players have to build train routes across America before someone blocks their path. Damerst previously noted the game is “super easy to digest” and it can be played with two to five players, so it’s a versatile option for families, couples and friends.
Baublebar The Alpha Throw
A throw blanket can help tie a room together and make a space feel cozier and more welcoming. This smiley face-patterned throw from Baublebar has customized initials – use the first letter of each person’s first name or go for one person’s first and last initials for that personalized touch.
AeroGarden Harvest Elite
Celebrating someone’s new apartment? This indoor garden kit for herbs or vegetables is a great way to add greenery to a home with no backyard. In our guide to indoor gardening kits, gardener Julie Bawden-Davis said AeroGarden has “the most advanced technology, especially in the area of lighting and hydroponics.” This indoor garden also requires minimal maintenance: It has lights that indicate when the garden needs more water or plant food.
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