Housewarming Gift Ideas by Room: Hallway, Kitchen and Living Room

A housewarming gift works well when it suits a room in the new home. A wall key holder suits the hallway. A wall clock or a cutlery set suits the kitchen and dining area. A throw, a mirror or a lamp suits the living room.

What makes a good housewarming gift?

A good housewarming gift is one the new owner will use or see every day. Choosing by room makes that easier.

The eight gifts here cover three rooms. The table shows where each one fits and how often it gets used.

Gift	Room	Daily use
Wall key holder with mail shelf	Hallway	Keys and post
Square steel wall clock	Kitchen or hallway	Telling the time
Cutlery set, 16 pieces	Kitchen and dining	Every meal
Blue faux fur throw	Living room	Warmth on the sofa
Ostrich feather lamp	Living room	Evening light
Gold ornate oval wall mirror	Hallway or bedroom	A look before going out
Sunburst wall mirror	Hallway or living room	Wall decoration
Large asymmetric wall mirror	Living room or hallway	A look before going out

What are good hallway gifts?

A key holder and a mirror both suit a hallway. Each answers a daily need.

The wall key holder is a brown wood board with the word HOME along the top. It has three black hooks, four key hooks, a mail compartment and a small shelf. It is 33.5cm wide and 7.5cm deep. The board is 13cm tall and the HOME letters add 6cm on top. The mail compartment sits on the left and the shelf on the right. The supplier lists the material as wood or bamboo with a polished surface. The supplier’s photo shows three screws and three wall anchors for mounting.

The photo below shows the hooks, the mail slot and the shelf.

A wall key holder gives keys and loose post one fixed place by the door.

For a hallway wall, choose from the gold ornate oval, sunburst and large asymmetric mirrors in the product table. Our guide to stylish mirrors compares mirror shapes and sizes.

What are good kitchen and dining gifts?

A cutlery set and a wall clock both suit the kitchen and dining area. Both get used every day.

The designer cutlery set has 16 pieces. That makes four settings of knife, fork, spoon and dessert spoon. Each piece has a hook at the base of the handle. The cutlery can hang on a rack in place of a drawer. The steel is 18/10 stainless with a mirror-polished finish. The knife is 22cm long, the fork and spoon are 20cm and the dessert spoon is 17cm. The listing gives a fork weight of 90g. It says the set is dishwasher safe with the top rack recommended.

The photo below shows the hooks at the base of each handle.

The square steel wall clock is 20cm across with a brushed metal face and black hands. It has no numbers or markers. The supplier describes it as silent. We have not measured the noise level. The listing does not say whether a battery is included. It suits a plain kitchen wall or a hallway.

What are good living room gifts?

A throw and a lamp both change how a living room feels. The lamp is the bolder choice.

The blue faux fur throw is 150 x 200cm in polyester. The supplier calls the pile bubble faux rabbit fur. It contains no real fur. The photos show a muted denim blue.

The ostrich feather lamp uses real ostrich feathers attached one by one. It stands on a brushed brass base. The floor version is 130cm tall and 45cm across. The desktop version is 45cm tall and 30cm across. The cord is fabric-covered. A warm-white dimmable LED bulb is included. The 2m cord has a foot dimmer and a UK 3-pin plug. You choose pink, orange or yellow feathers when you order.

The photo below shows the feathers lit from beneath.

The faux fur throw is the safer pick if you do not know the recipient’s taste.

Which gifts suit a small home?

Wall pieces and the desktop lamp suit a small home. The clock, key holder and mirrors hang on the wall.

The cutlery set hangs on a rack in place of a drawer. The feather lamp comes in a desktop height as well as the floor version. Choose the desktop lamp when floor space is short. It sits on a side table or a sideboard.

How do you choose by budget?

Under £30 buys the wall key holder. Between £30 and £50 covers the throw, the cutlery set, the wall clock and the gold oval mirror.

• Under £30: the wall key holder.
• £30 to £50: the blue faux fur throw, the cutlery set, the wall clock or the gold oval mirror.
• £50 to £200: the sunburst mirror or the asymmetric mirror.
• Over £200: the ostrich feather lamp.

If you are unsure, pick a hallway or kitchen piece. They suit most homes.

Which housewarming gift should you choose?

Choose the gift that matches the room you know most about. A pair from one room also works as a set when the two pieces share a finish or a use.

• Kitchen pair: the cutlery set and the wall clock.
• Living room pair: the faux fur throw and the desktop feather lamp.
• First flat pair: the wall key holder and the wall clock.

Browse every gift idea in Home Decor.