what to take to a new house

A new house receives a lot of flowers on day one and produces a lot of dead vases by day six. In the middle of a move, with boxes still unopened, the last thing anyone has time for is changing water in four arrangements.

There is a third option, between the bouquet that dies and the appliance nobody asked for, and it costs between ₹1,499 and ₹2,999.

The rule for housewarming gifts

Do not give them a job. Anything that needs watering, assembling, wall-mounting or a decision about where it goes is a task disguised as a present. A plant is a nine-month commitment handed to someone who has not found the cutlery yet.

The good housewarming gift is small, needs nothing, and looks intentional on a shelf that has one other thing on it.

For a griha pravesh

If there is a puja on the day — and there usually is — the useful gift is one that belongs in the corner being set up rather than in the room being decorated. The lit lotus aasan is made as a seat for a murti: about 40cm across, LEDs through the petals, running off USB or batteries, in four colours. ₹1,499. The idol is not included.

It is used on the day and then stays in the puja corner permanently, which is a rarer thing for a housewarming gift than it sounds.

For a flat that is still being furnished

The gift box, ₹1,499, flowers of your choice — arched bag, ribbon, about 30cm tall, stands on its own. Whites and creams if you have not seen the place; sunflowers and daisies if you have and it is bright.

For a bigger gesture — a first home, a family moving cities — the large bouquet at ₹2,999 is 12+ stems, about 40cm across, made in the colours you specify. It fills the empty corner that every new flat has for the first three months.

What to avoid

• Anything that needs a wall. They do not know where the wall is yet.
• Crockery. They have crockery. Everyone gives crockery.
• Strong scent. Candles and diffusers assume you know what someone else’s house should smell like.
• Live plants, unless you know for certain they want one.

Timing

Made to order in 2–3 days, then 1–2 days across Delhi NCR or 3–5 anywhere else in India. Order five days ahead locally. Housewarming dates move constantly, so if you are shipping to another city, send it to arrive a couple of days early rather than on the morning itself.

Flat ₹49 shipping. Made in Sector 45, Gurugram.