February 07th, 2016

Going to a housewarming party? Let OTM help you roll in with a cool gift and to boot let your hosts know exactly what the gift traditionally means.

I've found several common sources claiming that house warming parties started in France, but surely they must have been happening long before that. All you need is a bit of sophisticated celebration and a roof overhead! "Housewarming" literally meant the "warming" of a new home, so I figure Nordic countries came first. Thor's hammer was probably a housewarming gift—handy!

Friends and neighbors likely brought firewood, not only to warm the home but to see off any unwelcome spirits that the superstitious believed had occupied the house, particularly if it stood unoccupied for a while. 

These days, houses are ready to invite guests into its warmth, and celebrate the occasion with even more warmth. Most visitors usually bring a bottle of wine or food for the party, but if you want to be hip, bring a traditional gift to give your hosts a big smile. Check out these 12 housewarming ideas, all conveniently available at IKEA (Check Catalog for stock. And yes! You can take our IKEA Transportation Shuttle there if you need to!):

1. Sweep away unnecessary energies with a NIPPRIG Broom

2. GLÄNTA Bread Basket
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It is well known that the kitchen in any home is deemed the heart of the house, so giving bread as a gift meant "May those in your home never go hungry."

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3. PLATS Salt (& pepper) shaker
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Gifting salt meant "May there always be flavor and spice in your life."

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4. IKEA Kitchen 

For a new young couple, give rice with the blessing "May the love in your home multiply." This was believed to be a fertility gift to bless the marriage.

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5. IKEA 365+ KNIVES
Giving a knife has a dual meaning: it provides the wife with a tool to make meals; it could be used by the husband to defend his home and family from intruders.

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6. VURM 4-Bottle Wine Rack 
Giving a couple wine would say "May you always have joy and never go thirsty."

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7. ​MÖCKELBY Drop-Leaf Table
The gift of honey or syrup meant "May you always enjoy a sweet life."

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8. DROPPAR 3-piece oil & vinegar set
Taking olive oil as a housewarming gift means a blessing of health and well-being.

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9. Ceramic Owl Banks (not from IKEA, for once)
Giving coins indicates "May you always have luck and good fortune."

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10. MOLGER Step Stool
Wood signifies stability and says, "May your home have stability, harmony and peace."
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11. SKURAR Candle Dish
​Candles mean "May you have light through dark times."
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12. Giving a plant as a gift says, "May your home always have life." (I think this is the same as the wine bottle holder doohickey!)

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Any more housewarming gift ideas? Let us know!