Housewarming gift: ideas by budget that find their place

A good housewarming gift is an object for the home that can be put down the same day and asks nothing of the people who receive it. A vase, an easy plant or a terrarium kit meet these conditions. Here are ideas for three budgets, and the traps to avoid.

Where the housewarming comes from

In French, the housewarming is called the "crémaillère", the iron bar with notches that held the cooking pot over the fire. It was hung last, when the house was ready. People then invited those who had helped. The housewarming gift keeps this meaning: it helps to finish the move.

The four questions to ask

People who are moving in have boxes everywhere, little time, and walls that are still bare. A good gift answers yes to these four questions.

1. Can it be put down straight away? No drill, no assembly needed that same evening.
2. Does it find a place anywhere? An object of 20 cm goes on any piece of furniture. An object of one metre needs a wall.
3. Is it easy to live with? No watering every two days during a move.
4. Does it leave the choice of style open? A simple object, or an object fun enough to own.

Small budget: an object you put down

A vase and its dry bouquet

A vase on its own is a half-finished gift: you still have to find the flowers. Give the vase already filled.

Our Mingus duo brings together two yellow porcelain vases of 15 and 18 cm. It comes in a "With dried flowers" version: the two vases, and a small bouquet of real dried flowers on its wooden base. The gift is unwrapped and put down. Dried flowers need no water.

These vases are made for a dry display. Say so when you give the gift: they are not made for fresh flowers.

A bouquet that does not wilt

Fresh flowers are the most common gift, and the least practical on a housewarming night: you have to find a vase in the boxes. Dried flowers or artificial tulips go in any vase, with no water.

Medium budget: an object that makes you smile

A housewarming is a party. A fun gift has its place there, as long as it is also a good-looking object.

Our Madame 70's face vases are busts of a woman, 24 to 30 cm tall, with sunglasses and bold colours. The set holds one vase and three live succulents, which sit in the top of the head and give her a hairstyle. Seven models exist. They are new pieces, in the spirit of the 70s.

Succulents are easy plants: bright light, and a little water every two to three weeks. It is a living gift that puts up with a badly unpacked move. The method is in our guide to planting succulents in a face vase.

Generous budget, or a gift from a group: a terrarium kit

As a group, give a single strong object. A terrarium kit to assemble works for three reasons.

• It arrives complete. The glass, the plants, the moss and the soil are in the parcel.
• It becomes an activity. You put it together as a pair, on a Sunday, once the boxes are put away.
• It needs very little afterwards. A closed terrarium recycles its water.

Our Jungle kit is a glass bottle 25 cm in diameter and 26.5 cm tall, with five live plants: a palm, a fern, a coffee plant and two fittonias. The neck is 12 cm wide: a hand fits through, which makes assembly easier. Allow one hour. Afterwards, the terrarium is watered once or twice a year.

One precaution: the plants in the kit are alive. Have the kit delivered shortly before the party, and warn that assembly must not wait for weeks. Our guide to giving a terrarium compares the kit with the ready-made terrarium. The other kits are in the kits to assemble section.

And for someone without green fingers?

Two answers.

• A closed terrarium. It is the easiest living gift: it lives for months with no intervention.
• An artificial plant. It needs no water and no light. It also suits a dark hallway or a person who often travels. Choose a small plant, already potted: it finds its place more easily than a large floor plant.

What is better avoided

• Paintings and mirrors. They impose a wall and a style.
• Large objects. You do not yet know the free space.
• Difficult plants. A plant that dies within a month is a bad memory.
• Duplicate objects. A housewarming attracts candles and trivets. If you are unsure, ask the other guests.
• Succulents in a closed jar. You often see them given as gifts. They rot in there. Our guide to closed or open terrarium explains why.

The note that goes with it

A living gift without instructions ends badly. Slip in a card with two lines.

• For succulents: "Near a window. A little water every two to three weeks."
• For a closed terrarium: "Bright room, never direct sun. No water as long as there is condensation."
• For dried flowers: "No water, no direct sun."

In summary

1. An object that can be put down the same day.
2. Small budget: a vase already filled with dried flowers.
3. Medium budget: a face vase and its succulents.
4. As a group: a complete terrarium kit.
5. Always a card with two lines of care.

For a rarer gift, read giving a high-end terrarium. All the vases are on the design vases page.

Sources

• How to grow cacti and succulent houseplants, Royal Horticultural Society
• Creating a Closed Terrarium, Penn State Extension
• How to dry flowers and foliage at home, Royal Horticultural Society
• Technical data sheets from the maker of the vases and the bottle (dimensions, materials, intended use)