apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I give people resin deer heads that I paint different colors. :)

Like one of these: http://www.modernests.com/2008/11/my-diy-wall-art-wall-sculpture.html

Consumable items are always the safest gifts. Chocolate, olive oil, fancy soaps or candles, wine, fresh flowers, nuts, cheese, maybe even seeds for a garden. I'd never bring art or pillows or items that try to predict another's taste or decor. Too hard on everybody.

Would love that owl pillow for my cabin. :)

I always love giving candle sticks and bees wax candles. Useful, practical and always appreciated.

I usually give a fire extinquisher and an overhead fire alarm if the person is moving into an apartment.

Wine, food, flowers or a small houseplant. Maybe a little kitchen gadget or something if I know for certain they need it. I wouldn't buy any home decor items without knowing the person's tastes really, really, really well.

Housewarming registries? Good grief, does every occasion now have to be commemorated with an online wish list? I'd be questioning my friendship with someone if s/he had such a thing for their housewarming party.

Here is bread so you will never know hunger, salt so you will always have flavour, and wine so you will always know joy.

That in a card with a loaf of homemade bread, sea salt and a bottle of wine.

I just got back from picking up a housewarming gift. Our local spice shop (www.savoryspiceshop.com) makes custom and pre-mixed gift boxes, nothing like new spices to put good cooking smells into your new home!!

Nice monogrammed pillow cases. Everyone needs them, and they don't clash with anyone's decor.

As cute as the owl pillow is, it's not for everyone.

gift certificate to CB2, West elm, ikea , etc.

always work for both sides.

if you dont know the person very well, it will be hard to find something nice for him/her. i was invited for a house warming last week, and this guy was asking for gift cards to buy the things he likes; he DID NOT want presents. i;m sure i have a better taste (according to me, right?? lol) and i believe that one of the cool things of having a house warming/baby shower, etc etc is seeing the person opening the presents. so i didnt go.
I know how it feels to move out by yourself for the first time and not having anything. so i appreciated that without having a house warming i got kitchen items, towels, sheet sets, etc from my friends.

slowdown, I agree. It seems really tacky to have a registry for a housewarming party.

I'd give a candle, some nice soaps, wine, etc.

If I have traveled anywhere before the housewarming, I try to bring back suitable tokens that can also be useful or put on display.

But I agree, consumables and household linen are always good choices. This year, though, I shall try to gift people a 'green' gift card, such as from Method, lol.

Candles and candy are some of the best things I have given, at least in my opinion.

If I know someone really wants something (like a new set of glasses) I'll get that for them - if I don't know, they get consumable gifts.

I too do the fire extinguisher and also a small emergency kit that can be kept in a kitchen drawer.

When a friend buys a house, I bring them some kind of plant for their yard. My friend just a got a lemon tree which she was thrilled with. We gave my cousin a bougainvillea plant about 20 years ago and it now covers his garage.

"Nice monogrammed pillow cases. Everyone needs them."

Everyone? I've never considered monogrammed pillowcases for myself or as a gift. Is this a traditional gift?

Realizing I'm a bit late to the party with this comment. As a new homeowner, I LOVE this idea. (And my friends fully support it too.)

Granted, I'm not registering for the ubiquitous KitchenAid stand mixer, but as someone who's past the first post-collegiate apartment, there are things I need/would really like for my first home. Considering I'm not married, and don't foresee getting married in the next few years, this is my next biggest Life Event.

If couples who live together and aren't really "setting up a household" can register for extraneous things for a wedding registry, why can't someone who actually is setting up a household and needs stuff register too?

And while I *am* appreciative of any gifts I receive, there are only so many bottles of merlot or pots of mums a girl needs. I'm not saying that someone is obligated to bring me something if I register, but if they were thinking about it...I'd rather they get me something I actually need/like.

My husband and I set up a housewarming registry when we were finally able to buy our first house earlier this year (three years after we got married). We had used this website called myregistry.com for our wedding registry because you can add anything you want from literally any store in the world and we kept using it after the wedding for birthday wish lists, christmas lists, etc.

When we decided to throw a housewarming party to celebrate finally owning our own home, we just changed the registry type on the website to a "housewarming registry." There were so many things besides the standard kitchen appliances we got at our wedding that we needed for the new house, so we thought a registry was completely appropriate in this situation.

Not everyone gave us gifts from the registry, and those gifts were equally appreciated. As with any kind of registry, it is merely a list of suggestions, not demands! I think registries can be useful for many types of occasions.