12 Cool Furniture Gift Ideas in 2024

If the idea of giving ‘normal’ gifts makes you shudder, why not think of a way to combine practicality, thoughtfulness and longevity all in one amazing and appreciated present? It’s not as hard as you might think when you give the gift of brilliant furniture, but don’t just choose boring bookshelves! It’s time to think outside the flatpack box with the following:

1. Sturdy bench seat, hidden storage

No, not the name of an Asian martial arts extravaganza at the cinema, but a genius idea for a gift. Among numerous online retailers, vidaXL offers deals on furniture that includes sneaky hidden storage at a reasonable price. Because not everybody relishes the thought of commissioning a carpenter on a day rate, giving someone the gift of subtle storage is invaluable.

2. One gift with a million uses

Transformative furniture has been trending since last year and is amazing, offering multifunctional appeal that can help garner the most from even the most bijou of living spaces. Take a sweet little wall shelf as an example. It might look simple but flip a latch and down folds a ledge, just the right size for a laptop. Suddenly, you have a home office where you barely thought there was space for wall art. Incredible and so helpful.

3. A seat for two

You don’t need to be living with your significant other yet to get the benefit from a romantic furniture gift. No, we aren’t talking about a new bed, but one of the most fashionable living room additions in recent years – a cuddle chair. Bigger than your average armchair but not the size of a sofa, they encourage you to get close to the one you love, without requiring a huge sacrifice of floor space. Cute. Click here for more sofas.

4. The vintage investment

Every vintage fanatic will have a shortlist of brand names they are desperate to own a significant piece of furniture from, and if you can cast it to memory, you can give a thoughtful gift that should only appreciate in value. Whether you plump for an Eames chair, a G-Plan dining table or a Ladderax wall system, you’ll earn plenty of brownie points with a side order of cool.

5. Playful pieces

Contemporary interior design is awash with seemingly simplistic and almost juvenile items that double as both art installations and practical furniture choices. Molded plastic chairs, in the shape of animals, are proving popular, as are designs that nod to the materials featured within the design, such as sheep-shaped poufs with shaggy wool tops.

6. Repurposed industrial inspiration

Taking industrial machinery and turning it into beautiful, tactile furniture takes vision and skill but the results are breathtaking, as are the responses when you gift something of this nature. Aviation-inspired furniture works particularly well, but there are talented artists transforming all manner of old componentry into eye-catching modern paraphernalia suitable for any room.

7. A classic design

Nothing says a cool gift like an instantly recognizable design that somebody never dreamed they would own. One ultimate furniture must-have is the egg chair, with its swiveling seat, enclosed design and plush interior. Perfect for any home, from retro showcase to minimalist haven, it’s one of those items that everybody points at and proclaims that they’ve always wanted one themselves.

8. Small home solutions

Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to gift-giving, and this is especially true when bestowing furniture on someone with a small or studio home. Rather than trying to necessitate an enormous sacrifice of valuable floor space, select something that you know will make a big visual impact, while also being easy to hide away.

Wheeled pieces are perfect, as they can be placed wherever space appears or where they are needed most, and a top tip is to source nested items. Wheeled nested side tables are a thoughtful, stylish and clever way to show you know somebody.

9. Divide and conquer

Room dividers have come a long way since the days of heavy, cumbersome screens, and now, if you can dream it you can either buy or commission it. In an open-plan home, having the option to carve up little private zones is invaluable and by using a modern room divider, you can maintain light flow, as many designs feature sheer or perforated materials.

10. Tech-savvy surfaces

If you need to buy for a technology lover, don’t fall into the trap of buying something they already know is outdated. Instead, choose a piece of modern furniture that has been designed to accommodate favorite pieces of tech. Cable-tidy coffee tables, desks with power-cord camouflage and wireless phone charging stations are all fabulous ideas that have been given a designer twist.

11. Something for the best friend

Buying for your best friend means taking into account theirs, so if your intended recipient has pets, you can easily tie in a cool, furniture purchase with some four-legged appreciation. Beautiful pet beds are a given, of course, but stop for a moment and think about the animals in question. Are they older? Could they benefit from something more considered, such as a bed or sofa ramp, with built-in storage for treats? Now that’s a gift that everyone will appreciate.

12. Furniture for a family

Family homes never have too much storage – ask any parent and they’ll tell you that the more, the better. With this in mind, how about earning some cool points by gifting a hallways coat rack with personalized hooks? Match the styling of your recipients’ home, then add in the fun by showing how well you know each member. Don’t forget the pets, too.

More personal than you might first think, furniture makes for thoughtful, fun and even romantic presents, while also being a pragmatic and useful thing to bestow. Few other ideas can cover so many bases, let alone also be considered cool, so don’t snooze on furniture as an option for all occasions.