Buying a home is no small feat: On top of being a major financial investment, buying a home means making the space entirely one’s own — whether through decorating or renovating. . If you’re looking to congratulate someone on their new home with a gift, we rounded up some of the best housewarming gifts across tech, kitchen, bedding and more. We also included some of NBC Select editors’ favorite gift ideas like smart home devices, blankets and throws, indoor garden systems and more.
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 and Target are also great places to find a gift. All the gifts we recommend below have at least a 4-star average rating from 500 reviews or more on Amazon or are products NBC Select staff use themselves.
This plug-in adapter is an NBC Select reader favorite, especially since it does a lot more than just power up your devices. The Amazon Smart Plug allows simple devices to use smart home features, including lamps, kitchen appliances and more. It’s compatible with Amazon Alexa, meaning they can use voice commands to turn your devices on or off. To set it up, your giftee can just open the Alexa app to pair it immediately.
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. The Always Pan also comes in several standout colors, including Spice (a shade of pink), Heat (a deep red) and Blue Salt.
If you’re gifting new homeowners who you know love to cook, anything from Le Creuset is a great way to help make their kitchen feel special. The signature Round Dutch oven has a 4.2-star average rating from 659 reviews at Le Creuset and is available in 2-, 4.5-, 5.5-, 7.25- and 9-quart sizes and more than 20 styles. It’s made of extremely durable cast-iron and covered in a ceramic coating. They can use this to make meals for a crowd or opt for a small size if they just prepare food for themselves. Plus, the pot has two handles on the side that are easy to grasp when moving to and from the oven and stove.
These extremely popular 17-ounce drinking glasses, which have a 4.8-star average rating from 2,738 reviews at Anthropologie, come in more than 20 styles. Each one has a beaded glass icon in the shape of different foods or items, such as a lemon, pretzel, pickleball paddle or bow, attached all around the sides.
Brooklinen sent me a sample of this cozy throw blanket to try last year, and it kept me warm all through fall and winter. I loved using it when I was on the sofa watching a movie or when I went to bed on an especially chilly evening. The fringe on the ends make it more decorative, which I appreciate since it makes my bed look a little more presentable.
This digital photo frame will allow your giftee to have their favorite photos on rotation, all in one place. It has an auto on-and-off feature, anti-glare and a built-in speaker. NBC Select reporter Harry Rabinowitz tried out a sample of the Aura Aspen digital photo frame before writing a review about it. “Aura makes some of the best digital photo frames because they are incredibly easy to set up and use,” he says. “And they fade into the background of your decor, just like a regular photo frame would.”
This electric pizza oven, which has a three-prong plug, only weighs around 8 pounds and it has a diameter of around 13 inches, meaning it’s the ideal size for making 12-inch pizzas directly on a heat-safe table or countertop. It also has suction on the base to prevent it from sliding, handles on both sides, two temperature knobs and an indicator light. It also has a 4.3-star average rating from 2,977 reviews on Amazon.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I previously included this set of adhesive lights in our roundup of the best renter-friendly upgrades, but they’re also great for homeowners, since they don’t cause any damage or require major remodeling to install. The rechargeable and dimmable lights adhere to the bottom of your cabinets and provide low lighting. The set has a 4,5-star average rating from 36,089 reviews on Amazon. Plus, they have motion sensors — your giftee only has to be within two feet of them for them to turn on automatically.
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.
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.
This popular soy wax blend candle has a fresh and tropical fruit aroma and the container has a matte glass finish. You can give your giftee a small, medium or large candle, which has a 30-, 70- and 100-hour burn time, respectively, according to the brand. NBC Select page Riley Atkinson has the Capri Blue Volcano and the diffuser set and loves the scent. “Capri Blue’s Volcano Candle is my all-time favorite way to make any space smell amazing,” she says. “I receive compliments on the scent almost every time I have visitors, so I regularly give the candle as a gift to family and friends.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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Why trust NBC Select?Morgan Greenwald is a former editor for NBC Select. Cory Fernandez is a commerce editor at NBC Select, where he writes about home and kitchen topics. He also oversees much of the site’s gift guide content.
Catch up on Select’s in-depth coverage of personal finance, tech and tools, wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok to stay up to date.
