Uashmama is a family business, and we truly love celebrating the milestones in our loved ones’ lives, like getting a new job, getting engaged, or moving into a new home.
Whether a friend or family member is moving out on their own, or moving in with a partner or friends, it’s always helpful to have a few extra homewares, especially if they’re functional as well as beautiful, and they get bonus points if they’re sustainable too.
Here are some of our favourite housewarming gift ideas that we think anyone would be happy with when moving into their new home.
1. Bring a little life into a new home with a plant
Plants have the wonderful ability to immediately make somewhere feel more homely - the addition of this living thing can make even the emptiest white box feel more welcoming.
In our opinion, you can never have too many plants, so a plant as a housewarming gift is always a safe bet, especially if it’s in a Uashmama Paper Bag...
If you’re worried that your loved one might not have the greenest fingers, easy to care for plants such as cacti that need very infrequent watering, or monstera (otherwise known as Swiss cheese plants, due to the holes in the leaves) which seem pretty happy with very little attention.
For those wanting to be as eco-friendly as possible in their homes, Green Rooms have written this helpful blog, 6 ways to be a more sustainable houseplant parent.
2. Give a tasty consumable new home gift
Something to eat and/or drink is always a great present, whatever the occasion, but especially for those moving into a new home who may not have their fridge and cupboards stocked yet.
The classic new home gift is of course a bottle of bubbly, but a homemade meal might be more appreciated after all that heavy lifting. Why not make a hearty Italian Lasagne alla Bolognese, in a dish that the recipient can keep afterwards?
A hamper of treats is also a lovely new home gift to receive. You could pack one of our Uashmama Vassoio Trays with a selection of tasty Italian treats like snacks like taralli, grissini breadsticks, a wedge of parmesan or pecorino, and some prosciutto and salami.
Alternatively you could make up a breakfast hamper with Italian coffee, fig jam, and pistachio paste, or a hamper with the ingredients for a lovely meal along with a cookbook would be a wonderful housewarming present too.
3. Bestow a house-warming candle
This is another item that you can’t have too many of - candles are the perfect housewarming present to add a little extra warmth to a new home, and potentially a lovely scent too.
We found so many lovely scented soy wax candles (a more eco-friendly option than paraffin wax) while researching for this blog, it was difficult to choose just one, but this Grounding candle from Snug Scent sounds like the perfect fragrance for settling into a new home.
For an extra-eco-friendly approach, shopping with small businesses that are as local to you as possible cuts down on emissions, as well as supporting your local economy.
If you’re unsure about what scents your recipient likes, you could choose decorative coloured candles for the dining table instead. Box them up with a pair of candlestick holders for a thoughtful new home gift.
4. Add a splash of personality with an arty gift
Unless your newly-homed loved one is a prolific art collector, you can bet that they’ll have a bit of wall space in their new home that is just waiting for the right print. As with the other items, if it’s possible to support local artists and small businesses, that’s always a more sustainable route.
This Limoncello print from The Letter Arty is so fun, or if you fancy a more colourful housewarming gift, “Drunken Blooms” by Lucy Sherston certainly fits the bill, as it’s bursting with bold colour and lovely textures too.
You could also keep your eyes peeled in charity shops, other second hand stores and car boot sales too, as there are often a few framed pieces of art to be found.
5. Give a practical new home present
Although you may think practical gifts are somehow less lovely to give than something pretty, they don’t necessarily have to be one or the other - useful items can be beautiful too.
Something the recipient can use is always a welcome housewarming present, especially for someone moving out on their own for the first time - there may well be lots of items they need, and it’s not uncouth to ask what they’d find most useful in their new home.
Attractive storage is always a handy housewarming gift to hide clutter away. Our Uashmama Laundry Bags and Hampers are super practical - even if the recipient already has a laundry hamper, it could be used as blanket storage, or for kids’ toys.
Good quality utensil holders are often found in the bric-a-brac section of charity shops, at car boot sales, and in vintage shops, and always make a useful new home gift, especially if you include a couple of utensils and tie a bow around it too.
Instead of or alongside a Vassoio Tray of tasty food items, you could make one up with eco-friendly cleaning products and reusable cleaning tools to keep a new home spick and span - just don’t get the two mixed up!
6. If all else fails, give a voucher or gift card
Sometimes you’re really unsure of what to get as a new home present, and you may not want to risk buying an item that you may have to return, or that will be left unused in a cupboard. Enter: the gift card - a failsafe housewarming present.
It may not feel like the most imaginative new home gift, but by getting your loved one a voucher for a homeware or lifestyle store that they like, you can be sure that they’ll end up with something they’ll really love and use for years to come.
If none of these suggestions quite tickle your fancy, have a browse of all our beautiful, sustainable Uashmama homeware for more housewarming gift ideas, and have a read of our new About page to learn more about our sustainability practices.
We wish your loved one the best of luck in their new home!