CHY Gift Guide :: For The New Home Owner
As someone who now has her own place (albeit shared with T and Ollie), there are so many little things that would be a luxury to have that I don't quite have in my budget to purchase myself. There are also some things that I have that I would love to pick up for my friends when they move into their own places - thus the creation of this gift guide ensued.
A fancy shmancy candle with some extra tools :: I already dedicated an entire post to a gift guide specifically for candle lovers which you can read here ! But if it’s a TLDR, there’s a variety of candles in various price ranges you can pick up. Or you can buy your loved one the best candle tool ever - a candle wick cutter! It’s something that most people don't have (or even know about), but something that any candle burner should have! Having an even wick helps you burn your candles evenly, thus preventing your candles from tunneling and making it much easier to eventually repurpose.
Reed Diffuser :: While burning candles may not be everyone’s cup of tea, reed diffusers are great for many purposes. They look cute while delivering a nice lovely light scent to help freshen up the space. My friend recommended the NEST Fragrances one in Grapefruit which I knew would be a safe bet. I’ve moved this little one around our home - in our living room, to bathrooms, even to the kitchen. When guests come over, they often comment about how it smells good when they walk by and I quickly point out that it’s the little NEST reed diffuser. Pretty sure I’ve convinced at least 3 different people to buy it. And hopefully you - go.buy.it. !! My mom loves the ones from Antica Farmacista which she tends to stock up on during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale! I haven’t personally had any of these but my parents’ house smells great so I know it’s a solid investment! My only tip is not to use all the reed sticks at once but to replace them every once in a while so the smell is constantly being delivered rather than wearing out over time.
Aroma Essential Oil Diffuser :: I received this gorgeous marble one from Hathaspace* (via @Caudalie), but personally I’ve had my eye on one from Vitruvi for years. Now having a pet, you definitely have to be cautious about which essential oils you use - specific ones can be toxic to your cat/dog/etc., so do your research before you use it. And even when using non-toxic EOs, try to limit how much you use it around your pets. I keep mine in my office and tend not to use it when Ollie comes in to nap in my office.
Greenery and Planters :: Who doesn’t like a little bit of greenery in their home? Planters and plants can be so expensive, so it’s such a nice gesture to pick up one for them. Leon and George and The Sill are some companies I’ve had my eye on for a while! Driving to a nursery and walking around can be overwhelming, but looking online is my kind of shopping (lol - true millennial). From Leon and George, I’m quite fond of their pink rubber plant in either a black or pink clay pot - swoon! Both companies deliver all across the US so you don’t need to be based in a certain area to have access to them. Price wise they aren’t terrible either as planters typically cost a fortune (erm, hello West Elm), and plants are actually quite expensive to source as well. These companies offer a great 2-for-1 type deal with a whole lot of convenience.
Bath Mats :: Honestly, this is something everyone could use. While each person may have their preferences about mats, I think you can gauge it by the person. You can get a simple one or a funny one - up to you and the person in mind! Urban Outfitters always has so many cute bath accessories which I typically wait for sales to snag. Speaking of bathroom products, my brother gifted me and T some poo-porri and a plunger when we moved into our apartment. He said that’s his typically housewarming gifting item and I thought it was pretty funny and a good idea. So I guess I’m throwing that in there * unofficially *.
A Nice Throw :: Personally, I don’t believe there is such a thing as too many blankets. When guests come over, it’s always nice to have an option to throw a blanket around while everyone sits around and chats or puts a movie on. West Elm has a lot of great ones but you can find some cute ones from Target that don’t break the bank and won’t make you cry if your pet ends up destroying it.
HomePod :: Ok this one is a bit of a pricey one, but if you’re grouping up with others this one would be a great one. Of course if your loved one is #TeamAndroid (boo), you can always get them a Google Home or Alexa. But for those who are #TeamApple, a HomePod is perfect as it’s easy enough to sync up with the rest of their devices. T and I are most definitely an Apple household so it works great for us to have it sync up to our phones and our Apple TV. These days we don’t really have wires so it’s much easier to be able to just tell Siri to play music for us or have a little bit louder surround sound when watching TV or a movie.
Marshall Speakers :: If you aren’t really about smart-home type products, a good old classic speaker is great. I recently picked up a new MacBook Pro so I’m passing on my old iMac to T’s dad (since T got it for me originally anyways), and I wanted something to play music from. The Marshall speakers are SO cute and the acoustics are pretty good. It’s been on my list for years and I finally snagged it during some Black Friday sale goodness (it was 60% off so it was really just too good of a deal to pass on, especially since I’ve had it on my list for a while). There’s something nice about not having to rely on your computer or phone to blast music - and maybe it’s just the 90s kid in me that loves the idea of physical speakers.
Annual Calendar :: I’m a sucker for calendars and have gotten one from Rifle Paper Co for the last few years. I feel like I’m starting to run out of calendar options as I get one for both home and work, but I think they are a lovely addition to anyone’s home. Whether it be for a household or for an individual moving into their own room. My favorite calendars from RPC have to be their cities ones. I’ve kept all my previous calendars and am planning on cutting out the illustrations and framing up my favorite cities as artwork! If you’re one to enjoy more personable gifts, you can always make a calendar for your loved one with something more personal in mind (I would loooove one that’s filled with Ollie pics hehe). There is this mini corgi cutout one that I’m eyeing but it’s sold out - so I’m patiently waiting for it to come back in stock!
Bedsheets :: Bedsheets can be crazy expensive - especially if you have the finer taste in life (like T and me lol). There’s nothing quite like having new sheets to give your new space a quick refresh. T and I were on the fence about investing in a new bed since we were hoping to wait until we bought a house to upgrade. We’ve been sleeping on a full size bed with Ollie and let me tell you - it. is. rough. We finally caved and upgraded to a King size bed (WOO!) so that meant we needed to grow our collection of linens (literally). I’m still using my bedsheets that I’ve had since high school (coming up on 10 years lol) and my friends ALWAYS comment about how they’re so surprised I use the same ones. I don’t really believe in having a million sets because you really just need two. One set to change into while you wash the other (and put away for the later swap). I’ve never been much of a festive bedding type person so we decided to splurge on 2 sets - one from Brooklinen and one from Parachute. I mostly wanted to do a comparison of the two as they’re the most prominent ones I see on Instagram.
What are some items you’d love to receive for your home space?
I’ve also listed some of my wishlist items below which I think would be cute gifts!
