Housewarming 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 new home is full of boxes and short of everything. The best housewarming gifts are consumable, useful within a week, or one good thing for a bare wall.

The traditional gifts are worth knowing too, because they still get given and people like the meaning.

Finish it with a card

A new home card, and a print for the wall that's still empty.

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The traditional gifts and what they mean

  • Bread, so the house is never hungry.
  • Salt, so life always has flavour.
  • Wine, so there's always joy - and a coin for prosperity in some parts of the UK.
  • A plant or a candle, both now more common than the older set and just as welcome.

Practical gifts

  • A good doormat, which nobody buys for themselves and everybody needs on day one.
  • A toolkit or a decent screwdriver set for the first fifty flat-pack items.
  • Tea, coffee, sugar and biscuits in a box, for the first morning when nothing is unpacked.
  • A fire blanket, a smoke alarm or a first aid kit, especially for a first home.

Something for the walls

  • A print or poster - new homes have bare walls and no budget left for art.
  • A framed map or street print of the new area.
  • A set of postcards they can frame cheaply.
  • Hooks, picture hangers and a spirit level, which sounds dull until they start hanging things.

What to avoid

  • Anything large before you've seen the house. Space is the one thing they can't add.
  • Strong-smelling candles or reed diffusers, unless you know their taste.
  • Ornaments and wall art in your taste rather than theirs.
  • Pets, plants that need heavy care, or anything that creates a job.

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How to write it so it lands

  • Consumable or useful in week one.
  • Never buy big before you've seen the house.
  • A print beats an ornament.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What is a traditional housewarming gift?

Bread so the house is never hungry, salt so life has flavour, and wine so there's always joy. A plant or candle is the modern equivalent.

How much should you spend on a housewarming gift?

£10 to £25 is normal in the UK, more for close family or a first home.

What should you not buy as a housewarming gift?

Large items, strong scents, and decorative pieces chosen in your taste. Space and smell are both personal.

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