Ds has moved into his first apartment with a friend/co-worker. He FaceTimed me tonight and gave me a tour - so fun! I’d like to send a fun house-warming gift, but I am not sure what to send. I was thinking maybe something for the kitchen? Although, they both will travel a LOT during the work week, so I’m not sure how much cooking they will do. They bought a panini press and a toaster. Ds does not drink coffee. I wouldn’t mind a box of small kitchen items, but I don’t want to duplicate anything they already have. They are seriously lacking in decorative items, and they have practically nothing on their walls, but that seems overreaching to me. They are still acquiring furniture, but I don’t want to spend a ton, and they have most of the larger pieces they need. I thought about a bar cart? I saw one on Amazon that was only $100, but I don’t know if they have space for it. The apartment is very guy-ish with lots of black/white/gray with red as their accent color.
Penzey’s Spices? A decent set of wine glasses or beer steins? Coasters? Decanter? Copper Mugs? Mini wine Fridge? Beer flight glasses? Cheese board and cheese knives?
Funny, I brought William & Sonoma towels and pot holder as hostess gift last night. Such good quality.
First apartment, basic pots and pans. If I could redo, I’d have gone with a good quality non-stick fry pan and a 2 quart pot.
Nice quality measuring spoons and cups.
Silverware
Corelli dishes
Towels & pot holders
Wine glasses
Colander
Cleaning supplies
Cuisanart mini food chopper, rice cooker, blender—depends on the person’s taste.
Over the years, my son has asked for and appreciated high grade pots, coffee maker, etc. he’s getting 3 months of Hello Fresh for his b/d, among other things
I’d give a Target gift card. Sky is the limit to choices - furniture, lamps, kitchen stuff, bathroom items, bedroom items, wall decor, rugs…
Is he somewhat local that you can give this to him in person? If so and you want a tangible gift how about a themed gift basket - like breakfast: good skillet, pancake mix, maple syrup, pancake flipper, tea or hot chocolate if they drink it, kitchen towel.
No, he is not local at all - we are on opposite coasts. They did buy knives (though I am not sure how good they are). I forgot that the knife block was another item on the kitchen counter. I love the Hello Fresh idea, but since their M.O. is to travel M-Th of each week (sometimes S-Th, I don’t think that is very workable.
I do prefer the idea of a tangible gift. His graduation gift was $$ for new tires and new luggage.
I have and love my Instant Pot. I just don’t have a sense of how much cooking they will actually do. I definitely think towels of any kind are a safe idea.
I like your bar cart idea. My son and wife got one as a wedding gift They really like it… It’s not large (they put it in their very little dining room but very useful.
I have to say I also thing the bar cart could be something for them to get really excited about. Would you be willing to ask if they might have room for one and/or send your son three Amazon options to get his opinion and then surprise him and send one?
A bar cart could be multi-use. For a bar or for a beverage cart, small appliance cart, etc.
Wayfair is a good source for inexpensive furniture such as side tables and bar carts.
You could send him a link to a bar cart you think he might like, and tell him to pick out another in the same price range if he would prefer that. That’s what I did with my S and his GF, who were in dire need of some kind of coffee/side table(s),
As a former apartment property manager, I would advise being careful about getting a grill. There are laws (differing by state) about how far a grill has to be from the building. Gas grills can typically be closer than charcoal grills, yet both kinds need to be further away than a balcony allows.
