MOVING UP, MOVING OUT

Gifts for Grads Moving to a New Place

A new city, a new apartment, a new job, a new life.

By Zoe Sayler June 2, 2022

The products listed here were selected by a member of the editorial staff. Should you choose to purchase a product through a link on this page, we may receive an affiliate commission.

Wine glasses from Estelle Colored Glass make any home feel a little more grown-up.

Image: Nordstrom

Transitioning from college life and all its lovely accoutrements—hastily hung band posters; meals of instant ramen; roommates good, bad, and bizarre—can be bittersweet. Help make adulthood feel like home with these graduation gifts.

Sedum Burro's Tail Potted, Rori Blooms Local

$52

Image: Rori Blooms

Plants brighten up the home—at least until they shrivel up from neglect. This pre-potted, drought-tolerant Burro's Tail succulent thrives even under the care of grads who don't have experience cultivating anything other than a 3.8 GPA. 

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Estelle Colored Glass Set of Six Stem Wine Glasses, Nordstrom Local

$185

Image: Nordstrom

Every candy-colored piece from this beloved, Black-owned glassware line is the stuff of domestic dreams, but a classic set of stemmed wine glasses feels especially grown-up. In a fun, pink way.

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First Aid Kit, Welly

$27

Image: Welly

Even practical home essentials like a fully stocked first aid kit can be aesthetically pleasing (you're welcome, Gen Z). 

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Take It Easy Candle, Cancelled Plans Local

$32

Seattle-based candle company Cancelled Plans specializes in simple packaging and relatable scent names. If Student Loans feels a little too on the nose, consider a musky, citrusy reminder to Take It Easy (for the first time in about four years).

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Tineco Pure One S11 Handheld Vacuum Cleaner, Tineco

$350

Image: Tineco

Will a handheld, rechargeable vacuum with a near-five-star rating and rave reviews from Wirecutter be the most fun present to open? No. But it will be the gift apartment-dwelling grads who are used to wireless everything will thank you for in the years to come. 

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Piecework Smart Cookie Puzzle, Prism Local

$38

Image: Prism

Celebrate graduates' newfound ability to own a table large enough for 1,000 pieces—oh, and their incredible academic accomplishments—with this cute and punny pastel puzzle.

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Blick Gift Card, Blick Art Materials

$5–$500

The true rite of passage into adulthood: framing art rather than thumb-tacking it to the wall. Blick Art Materials (which has a location in Capitol Hill in addition to others around the country) offers some incredible discounts on custom framing, so gift card recipients get more hang for their buck.

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Chef’s Choice Cordless Electric Glass Kettle, Sur la Table Local

$60

Image: Sur la Table

Coffee. Tea. Instant ramen (old habits die hard). 

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NYT 36 Hours World, Burke Decor

$40

Image: Burke Decor

For graduates making a big move to a new major city, starting a career that calls for frequent work travel, or searching for a useful and adultish coffee table book, the New York Times's print compilation of its 150-locale "36 Hours" travel series makes for a practical and thoughtful gift.

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Seven-Piece Bar Essentials Set, Viski Local

$64

Image: Viski

Three cheers for muddling, shaking, stirring, and straining something other than whatever was cheapest at Total Wine.

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