Best Housewarming Gifts

My partner and I have given these Coupetini glasses to more friends than I can recall. We also have a set of our own. Made of crystal, they’re delightfully delicate and can instantly elevate any libation.

CB2’s Marta glass collection is a relatively well-kept secret I’m more than happy to share. The Cooler glasses were among the first items I purchased for my new apartment—followed by the shorter tasting glasses, which I use on a daily basis. They’ve also made it to the homes of many of my friends. The glasses are ultra-thin and stackable (a major plus for those with limited cabinet space), and I’ve found them to be surprisingly durable.

I received a set of olive-embroidered cocktail napkins from Atelier Saucier as a housewarming gift, and they’re by far one of my most prized possessions. Made from reclaimed denim, the hand-embroidered pieces spark joy each time I pull them out for a party or an everyday occasion.

While the exact set I own is currently out of stock, this colorful version, with its sweet trimming, is just as charming. These napkins are also available in vibrant colors and patterns.

For anyone who has ever struggled to open a bottle of wine with a waiter’s corkscrew (present company included), here’s a gift that will keep on giving.

“I almost exclusively drink wine at home and love this electric wine opener,” says CR writer Jodhaira Rodriguez. “I struggled to get the cork out of bottles with a manual corkscrew for a very long time before my dad introduced me to the world of electric wine openers. This was a game changer for me.”

I have a deep-rooted love for design-forward pitchers and will go on about them ad nauseam. This small pitcher from the Danish brand Hay is a favorite from my collection. It’s equal parts elegant and decidedly unexpected with its unique shape and two-tone coloring.

“The only good one [housewarming gift] I’ve ever gotten is a pitcher from Hay,” says CR senior reporter Angela Lashbrook, who, coincidentally, owns the same one but in the green colorway.

Printworks reimagines classic games in bold, bright colors and streamlined packaging, which I’d say makes them exponentially more enjoyable.

There has been an uptick in the number of backgammon lovers in my friend group, so naturally, I haven’t missed out on giving this colorful set.

Candles always make great gifts, but an unscented variety is even better. These totem pillar candles from Areaware come in earthy colors and double as art.

“Every host appreciates fresh new serveware, and Sabre’s Bistrot designs are my favorite,” says Katherine Lewin, founder of Big Night, a shop dedicated to hosting and dinner party essentials. “I love to gift the serving set or the butter spreader—ideally alongside fancy butter.”

If your first inclination is to bring a bouquet of flowers to a housewarming, consider leveling up with an equally beautiful vase. There’s no need to spring for an overly expensive one; the floral arrangement is the main attraction, and the vessel is a bonus. I love pairing a supermarket bouquet with a structural vase, like this version from H&M, for an instant, easy upgrade.

And while we’re on the topic of greens, go for an alternative that can last longer.

“Plants are both the best housewarming gift I’ve ever received and the best housewarming gift I’ve ever given myself,” says CR senior writer Pang-Chieh Ho. “It can be kind of daunting decorating a new space from scratch, and a plant is such an easy lift because it adds a dash of color and liveliness while not taking up too much space.”

For beginners, a low-maintenance plant, like this ZZ plant, is the way to go. It can handle a variety of environmental conditions and still thrive. It’s tolerant of low levels of light and can endure bouts of drought because of infrequent watering.

Ho also suggests a pothos. “They’re fast-growing and, more than any other plant out there, truly deserving of the reputation of being impossible to kill.” Grab one from your local plant store or online from retailers such as The Sill or Bloomscape.

Drying dishes isn’t the most exciting activity, but a colorful set of dish towels can make the chore slightly more bearable. While practical, dish towels also double as decor when they’re not in use, so why not spring for a good-looking set? These waffle-weave kitchen towels are not only quick-drying but also absorbent. They come in bright and muted shades and make great housewarming gifts.

For the breakfast enthusiast, we couldn’t think of a better gift than Le Creuset’s butter crock, which has a classic look that would fit in well with most kitchen aesthetics. It comes in four colors: “Cerise,” a rich red with a black fade; “Caribbean,” a happy blue (the colorway we evaluated); “Marseille,” a midtone, dusty blue; and white.

Like most Le Creuset products, it’s made from enameled stoneware. It’s dishwasher-safe and easy to wash by hand, too. The lid has a small divot that might retain water in a dishwasher, so load it sideways.

These silicone oven mitts from Gorilla Grip are waterproof and feature a soft padded cotton lining and a textured honeycomb pattern throughout to help you keep a strong grip on pots, pans, and baking sheets. The company says that they’re heat-resistant up to 484° F and that they cover a solid portion of your wrist, which is especially important to help you avoid making contact with hot oven racks when baking.

They come in two sizes, 12.5 and 14.5 inches long, as well as a number of colors, including black, aqua, and coral. To keep them clean, rinse them under water with soap, according to the manufacturer. 

Granola itself might not be the most exciting housewarming gift, but one that features a delicious, unique flavor combination certainly is. Sweet Deliverance takes the ordinary and elevates it to new heights. This gluten-free blend of oats, sour cherries, pistachios, and golden flax seed is proof. Rose petals coupled with hints of cardamom and cinnamon take it to the next level.

Great olive oil is almost always appreciated. One that comes in an aesthetically pleasing bottle that can be used again and again is a major plus. Cue Zia Pia’s Fantasia extra virgin olive oil. Encased in a hand-painted splatterware ceramic vessel, it’s made with hand-harvested Ogliarola and Coratina olives from Italy’s Puglia region. Pair this with a fresh loaf of sourdough bread and burrata. 

While this version wasn’t included in our evaluation of the best extra virgin olive oils last year, I love it for dressing salads and cooking.

What better way to celebrate a successful day of unpacking than with a pint of ice cream? These aren’t your run-of-the-mill flavors, and that’s exactly what makes Jeni’s so special. There’s brambleberry crisp, which features a mix of oat streusel, blackberries, and blackcurrants layered in vanilla ice cream. Salty caramel, dark chocolate, and a brown butter almond brittle are just a few of the other unique varieties you’ll find in this combo pack.

Upgrade your friend’s spice shelf with a fresh assortment to be used every day. Diaspora Co.’s colorfully packaged spices always somehow make their way into my housewarming gift bundles. Their Aranya black pepper (with notes of citrus and nutmeg) is a crowd-pleaser, while the Pragati turmeric is my personal favorite.

Fresh bread and a few cans of really great tinned fish are a meal in my book, and one I love to indulge in. Fishwife’s Smoky Set includes one tin each of smoked rainbow trout from Idaho, smoked albacore tuna from the Pacific coast, and smoked Atlantic salmon from Norway. Each is brined in its own mix of sugar (even the savory stuff has it) and spices. And if you’re just looking for some nice anchovies, our evaluators dubbed the Fishwife Anchovies in Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil as the best of the bunch.

A cloudlike duvet is another gift a new homeowner will appreciate, especially if they’re outfitting additional bedrooms. Christian recommends this version from Buffy.

This duvet is so comfortable that our reviewer was able to use it without a duvet cover, thanks to its smooth, silky feel and fluffiness. It’s also made of recycled materials and is uniformly stuffed in layers rather than the stitched-box design of most duvets, which is meant to prevent clumping and shedding.

The Gravity blanket comes with its own matching “micro-plush” duvet cover. It indeed felt soft to the touch, according to a staffer who tried it at home—similar to velour. She also noted that its ties, buttons, and zipper kept the comforter particularly secure.

Gravity says the cover is machine-washable in cold water and can be tumble-dried on low. The inner weighted blanket, which includes glass beads, is hand-washable and should be air-dried only. (But we did run it through a wash cycle because it seems unwieldy to hand-wash something so large and heavy, and it turned out fine.)