Colourful Nottingham housewarming gifts with a story behind them
New home. New keys. New neighbours. A heroic number of cardboard boxes.
And, inevitably, absolutely no idea where the kettle has gone.
Moving into a new home deserves marking, whether it’s a first flat, a long-awaited house purchase or simply somewhere new to call your own.
If you’re looking for a Nottingham new home gift that’s a little more personal than a bottle of fizz or another houseplant, The Nottingham Colour Palette captures the city in six colours.
There’s Robin Hood and Raleigh, trams and caves, Nottingham’s lace-making heritage and even a Goose Fair delicacy.
Six Nottingham stories for a brand new home.
Explore The Nottingham Colour Palette collection →
Why Nottingham makes a brilliant new home gift
The best housewarming presents have a connection to the person receiving them.
Perhaps they’ve just bought their first home in Nottingham. Maybe they’re moving across the city, returning after years away or leaving Nottingham for somewhere completely new.
The Nottingham Colour Palette turns six local references into a contemporary colour gradient. It works as wall art in a living room, a mug for that all-important first cuppa or a smaller keepsake to mark the move.
It’s unmistakably Nottingham without feeling like a traditional souvenir.
The six colours of Nottingham
Every colour has a local story behind it.
Sherwood Forest
A Nottingham palette had to start here. Sherwood Forest pays tribute to Robin Hood and his Merry Men, whose legend has become inseparable from the city.
Did everything happen exactly as the stories suggest? Let’s not spoil it. He gets a green.
Tramway Teal
A nod to one of the most familiar sights on Nottingham’s streets and the tram network that has become part of everyday city life.
Minted Pea Green
Possibly not the first thing you’d expect to inspire a colour.
Minted Pea Green celebrates mushy peas with mint sauce, a traditional Goose Fair favourite and one of those wonderfully specific references that makes perfect sense if you know Nottingham.
Lace White
Nottingham became internationally famous for its lace industry. Lace White celebrates the manufacturing heritage that helped shape the city’s economy, architecture and identity.
Cave Sandstone
There’s another Nottingham beneath your feet. Cave Sandstone references the remarkable network of caves carved into the sandstone below the city.
Chopper Orange
A colour dedicated to the king of bicycles. Chopper Orange celebrates Nottingham’s connection with Raleigh and its legendary Chopper, one of the most recognisable bikes ever made.
Legend, transport, food, industry, hidden history and great British design.
That’s quite a lot of Nottingham for six little swatches.
Find the perfect Nottingham housewarming gift
A new-home present can be a little something for your first visit or a more substantial gift from family or close friends.
Not sure what to choose? Here’s a quick guide by budget:
Under £10 – Fridge Magnet, Coaster
£10–£20 – Ceramic Mug, Porcelain Mug, Placemat, Mouse Mat, Tote Bag, Apron, T-shirt
£20+ – Framed Art Print, Canvas
Explore the full Nottingham Colour Palette collection →
Nottingham wall art for those new walls
A new home usually means empty walls. Sometimes quite a lot of them.
A framed Nottingham Colour Palette print or canvas makes a more substantial housewarming present, bringing a connection with the city into a living room, kitchen, hallway or home office.
The six swatches create a contemporary colour gradient, while the names underneath reveal the stories.
Someone will eventually ask about Minted Pea Green.
There’s your conversation starter.
Something smaller for the first cuppa
Before the pictures are hung, the Wi-Fi is working or anyone has located the cutlery, there is one essential requirement.
Tea.
Or coffee. I’m not taking sides.
A Nottingham Colour Palette mug makes an affordable housewarming present featuring all six colours and their local references. Coasters and other smaller pieces also work well if you want to turn up with something thoughtful without adding another enormous object to an already box-filled house.
Flowers disappear. Wine tends to disappear considerably faster.
A little piece of Nottingham can hang around.
A little Nottingham, wherever they’re moving
The new address doesn’t necessarily have to be in Nottingham.
Someone might be leaving the city for a new job, returning home after university or starting a completely new chapter elsewhere.
That’s one of the things I like about creating these palettes. They don’t just represent where somebody lives. They can represent where they grew up, studied, worked or simply somewhere that matters to them.
And if someone is moving to Nottingham, the six colours make a pretty good introduction to their new city too.
Robin Hood, trams, caves, lace, Raleigh and mushy peas with mint sauce.
Welcome to Nottingham.
A new home gift with a story behind it
There are plenty of things you can buy for a new home.
Candles. Plants. Glasses. Cushions. Kitchen gadgets nobody quite understands.
I’ve always preferred gifts with a story attached to them.
That’s the idea behind The Colour Palette Company. Every colour has a reason for being there and, together, the six swatches become a little visual story of a place.
For Nottingham, that means Sherwood Forest, Tramway Teal, Minted Pea Green, Lace White, Cave Sandstone and Chopper Orange.
Something local for somewhere new.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Nottingham new home gift?
Something with a connection to the city can make a housewarming present more personal. Nottingham wall art, mugs and smaller keepsakes work particularly well for a first home, new flat or house move.
What can I buy someone for their first home in Nottingham?
For a larger present, framed Nottingham wall art or canvas can mark the occasion and give them something for their new walls. For a smaller budget, a mug or coaster makes an easy and useful gift.
What can I buy someone who is moving away from Nottingham?
Something inspired by the city can make a lovely reminder of home. A Colour Palette print, mug or keepsake gives them a little piece of Nottingham to take to their new address.