When your friends move into a new apartment, you’ll want to bring over a gift during your first visit. While a bottle of wine is always a great gift when visiting a friend, most guests want to bring something more permanent for an apartment warming.
The trick is you don’t want your gift to end up at the thrift store in your neighborhood. If you’ve had some time to check out your friends’ apartment, possibly while helping them move in, then you probably know what they need for decorations and what they like to do. The following list of gifts represents a wide range of interests:
A Spice Set
If your friends are moving cross-country, chances are they didn’t move too much food or any spices with them. While you could pick up a fruit or cheese basket for them, a better option may be a spice set. The jars and accompanying rack will be practical gifts they can use for the long term, while you can fill the jars with fresh spices they can use immediately.
Wine Rack
If your friend loves a good bottle of wine, check out wall-mounted wine racks—most hold four to five bottles. You can bring a bottle of wine and provide a rack where your friend can store it. A wine rack is the perfect gift for anyone who loves entertaining. Another good gift would be a set of wine glasses since it’s quite likely that your friends’ wine glasses broke while moving.
Serving Trays
If your friends have you over for an apartment warming party, consider bringing some snacks on serving trays that they can use for future events.
Over the Sink Shelf
If your friends have limited counter space in their kitchen, an over the counter shelf is the perfect place to store soap, small potted herbs, and handy kitchen tools.
Candles
High quality, scented candles can add a great relaxing ambiance to a room, and friends moving into a new apartment will need all of the serenity they can find.
Flowers in a New Vase
Fresh flowers are another great touch to a home, but if you want to give your friends a lasting gift, consider bringing them in a stylish new vase that they can continue to use, especially if you plan on bringing them flowers in the future.
A House Plant
House plants add color and contrast to a new apartment. If your friends don’t have much by way of decorations, a flowering plant such as an African Violet is a great place to start.
A Key Hook
Though small, a key hook can be a great gift for a couple with boxes and general chaos reigning. Having a central place for their keys could save them a lot of stress and worry.
A Customized Gift
There are many customized gifts available that include doormats, blankets, and picture frames. Before you have the gift made, be sure to spell your friends’ names correctly!
A Gift Certificate for Dinner Out
Some friends may not have all of their cooking supplies out during the first few days in their new apartments, and therefore a gift certificate at a local restaurant is the perfect gift.
Moving into a new apartment is exciting, but it can be stressful. By picking up the right gift for your friends, you can help them feel at home.
By Nate Skinner Google
