First Home Gift Ideas

We make cards, prints and pin badges in the UK. We don't sell furniture or toasters, so this is a plain guide - the card and the wall print at the end are the only things we make.

A first home swallows money in a way nothing else does, and it's always the dull items that run out first: bins, mops, extension leads, a decent pan.

Buy one boring essential and one thing they'll keep, and you've done better than almost every other guest.

Boring essentials that get used daily

• A good pan or a knife that isn't from a starter set.
• Extension leads, a toolbox, light bulbs and a tape measure.
• A decent mop, a laundry basket, an airer - the things that only get bought when they break.
• A fire blanket and a carbon monoxide alarm for a first home. Unromantic, potentially life-saving.

Gifts that make it feel like theirs

• A print of the house, the street or the town, framed.
• A doormat, a house number or a key hook by the front door.
• A plant that's hard to kill, with instructions attached.
• A hamper for the first night: wine, pasta, sauce, bread, chocolate, a candle.

Group gifts

• A voucher for the big thing they're still missing - usually a sofa, a bed or a washing machine.
• A garden starter set if they've got outside space for the first time.
• A dinner set that matches, to replace the three mismatched mugs from student days.
• A cleaner on move-out or move-in day, which is the single most appreciated group gift going.

Budgets

• Friends: £15 to £30.
• Family: £30 to £100, or a group gift towards something bigger.
• First-time buyers often get money from parents towards a specific item - name it in the card.
• Never bring nothing and never apologise for bringing something small.

Browse new home cards

How to write it so it lands

• Buy boring. Boring gets used.
• Name what the money is for.
• One keepsake, one essential.

Where to shop next

• Housewarming gift ideas
• Housewarming gifts under £20
• Moving day survival kit
• Housewarming gifts for couples
• New home gifts for renters
• New home messages
• First home checklist
• Plants as a housewarming gift
• Housewarming celebration ideas
• Home and living guides
• All guides
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges

Frequently asked questions

What do you buy someone for their first home?

One boring essential they'll use daily - a good pan, a toolbox, a mop - plus one keepsake like a framed print of the street.

How much do you spend on a first home gift?

£15 to £30 from friends and £30 to £100 from family is typical in the UK.