Holiday Gift Guide: Lighting & Home Decor Gift Ideas

When it comes time to buy gifts for friends and loved ones, the endless shopping possibilities may feel overwhelming. A great gift idea needs to feel personal, but it should also match your recipient’s taste. It should inspire excitement while serving a practical purpose. And importantly, it needs to fit within your gifting budget.

Since so many of us are spending more time at home this season, gifts for the home are a smarter idea than ever before! When shopping for home gifts, we recommend setting a rough budget range beforehand. Hence, you know which categories of home decor, furniture, and lighting items best match what you are planning to spend, saving you browsing time. For even further planning look at our gift registry page and put together your very own registry!

Shades of Lights’ 2022 holiday home gift guide will get you started with product category suggestions in price ranges as low as $50 and as high as $200+. We’ll help you kick off your search and give you expert guidance to anticipate your gift recipient’s home needs. Leave the shopping stress behind and enjoy the process of picking a stylish gift that they won’t forget!

For in-person celebrations in 2022 or if you find yourself invited to participate in long-distance virtual gift exchanges, here are ways to keep up the holiday cheer with friends and co-workers. If you’re looking for co-worker gifts or gift exchange ideas to send, we have some unique small decor options that will add a stylish touch to any home.

If you’re unsure where to start, it can be helpful to pick a room and search for gifts that will fit within that space. For kitchens, small decor items like recipe stands, cutting boards, and farmhouse signs are sweet and practical additions. For dining rooms, candle holders, wooden and ceramic bowls, and modern vases can all contribute to a stunning holiday table. And for living rooms, a wood log holder, decorative basket, or plant stand can be easily integrated with existing furniture and decor.













Tip: If you and your gift recipient aren’t big on gift wrapping, you can have your gift shipped directly to their home! Shipping directly to your friend or co-worker will save you on overall shipping costs because you don’t have to wrap and re-ship the item. It’s also more environmentally friendly to ship directly since fewer packing materials and less overall transportation are needed. Simply enter their name and information into the shipping address section at checkout.

One of the most challenging groups of people to buy gifts for can be family. Especially if you live far apart and don’t see one another often, it can be hard to know exactly what your parent, sibling, in-law, or grown son or daughter has been wanting or needing.

A helpful strategy when shopping for home gifts for family members is to pick something that you could always use more of. Universally appealing categories include indoor throw blankets and pillows, outdoor accent pillows and poufs, and wall decor.

We all know a person who loves to collect accent pillows to the max. Adding another pillow to their collection gives them the added fun of arranging a new piece in their pillow display on a bed or couch. Even if your family member has minimal pillow style, accent pillows are a safe bet because they can be placed in a variety of areas and rotated seasonally, so you don’t have to worry about giving them something they already have.

Throw blankets are similarly versatile and are extremely likely to be used throughout the year. Whether it’s draped across a chair, sofa, or bed, or placed in a decorative basket for guests, a new blanket is a warm gift with a sentimental touch. For cozy accent decor that is naturally soft, consider cotton pillows and throws. Add an earthy flair when you choose neutral blankets and cushions.

Wall decor is another gifting area where it is hard to go wrong. Unless you know that your family member has limited wall space or that they live in a rented living space with restrictions on hanging wall items, this is an area where you can find some unique pieces that will distinguish their style. We love this category for college-age and young adult children since an elegant piece of wall decor can make their dorm room or apartment feel more refined.



















Tip: If it has been a while since you visited your family member’s home or apartment, you can reference their social media posts to get a sense of their home decorating tastes! Once you have some reference photos in mind, you can compare those images to our Shop by Style section and match their sensibilities to a design category. Remember to sort price low to high if you want to focus your search under the $100 price point.

We’ll let you in on a little gifting secret: a home gift for a spouse is also a gift for yourself! If you’re stuck on what to buy for your husband or what to give to your wife, why not choose something that you and your partner will both enjoy on a daily basis. Is your special someone more of a practical person when it comes to gifts? Then you may want to steer more toward a lighting gift like a vanity light fixture, table lamp, or floor lamp, many styles of which are available for under $200. They will see the benefit of better task lighting immediately when they do their daily grooming under a new above-mirror bathroom light, switch on a floor lamp next to their favorite reading chair, or enjoy the helpful glow of a desk lamp at work each day. And you can choose a fixture that you love to look at, whether that be a more traditional style light or a trendier choice like a boho style fixture. For a mid-price lighting gift that is particularly on-trend at the moment, consider a rattan table lamp or sleek 2-light vanity light.

Does your partner have an eye for style? Celebrate their taste with a beautiful home accent. You can bring their favorite color into a shared space with a living room area rug or bedroom rug, or find a wall mirror that matches their taste. For more advice on mirror choices, consult our mirror style guide.

















Tip: To keep your shopping selections under your desired price point, you can browse a category like Vanity Lights with price low to high. Note: Rug price ranges correspond to dimensions with the lowest price being the smallest size (3x5 and Smaller Rugs) and the highest price being the largest size (9x12 and Larger Rugs).

The first holidays in a new home are always such a special time! Whether you’re shopping for a housewarming holiday gift for new homeowners or newlyweds, giving them the gift of a lighting or furniture upgrade is a meaningful gift idea. This category of gifts will be easiest for those who know the home design tastes of their recipients extremely well. If you are shopping for a more casual acquaintance, you may find other sections of this guide more helpful.

While wedding registries and housewarming parties might cover many of the small appliance and decor needs families will encounter when setting up a house, new homeowners still often have a long list of upgrades or renovations to make their living space match their personal tastes.

A stylish chandelier, pendant light, or ceiling light that can replace builder fixtures is a thoughtful lighting gift idea for new homeowners. Giving them an elegant lighting fixture can put a helpful dent in renovation costs for a central room like a dining room, kitchen, living room, or foyer. And, it can create a special reminder of your relationship with the family. If you want to give a centerpiece light fixture with cutting-edge elegance, consider a wood bead chandelier or a bohemian pendant light.

Similarly, furniture gifts can be a helpful way to assist in outfitting a new home. If you’re looking to give them a stately centerpiece for a currently empty room, a dining table or home office desk is an excellent choice. For homeowners who are further along in their home design process, stylish accents like benches, side tables, and ottomans will work well.

Tip: You may need to do some creative questioning with your gift recipient to determine the technical specifications of a lighting purchase, such as ceiling height or electrical wiring considerations. For more information on technical lighting considerations by fixture type and room, check out our Design Guides & Tips, or contact us through our customer service department with questions about specific products.
















Any gift you give to brighten a home is a gift that’s chosen with love. No matter which home gifts you end up choosing this holiday season, you are sure to bring a little extra joy to rooms where your friends, family, and loved ones spend so much of their time. Happy holidays and happy gifting!