Friends Housewarming Gift Ideas for the Fan Who Just Moved

Friends housewarming gift ideas tend to come in one flavor: a Central Perk mug. Mugs are fine. But a fan who's just moved has bare walls and a kitchen with nothing on the shelves yet, and that's a much better list to shop from.

We make 3D floor plan frames, two of them from Friends, so we think about this a lot. Below are eight gifts we'd happily give, starting with our own (fair warning) and then some good ones other people make. The photos of our Central Perk frame were taken in a house in Hakuba, Japan, in ordinary daylight, so that's what it really looks like on a table.

What makes a good Friends housewarming gift

A housewarming gift for a fan has two jobs. It has to belong in a home, and it should be something they'd have picked out for themselves if they'd seen it first.

That rules out a lot of merch. T-shirts and socks are birthday presents. For a new place, think about what's empty right after a move, like the wall above the sofa or the spot by the front door where the keys will land.

And most fans already own the mug. If they've seen every episode more than once, one bigger piece usually goes down better than a bag of small ones.

8 Friends housewarming gift ideas

1. A Central Perk floor plan frame

This one's ours, so weigh our opinion accordingly.

Our Central Perk floor plan frame shows the coffee shop from above. It's laser-cut from pinewood and built up in layers, so the walls stand off the backing, and the furniture is engraved into the floor: the long counter, the sofa and armchairs, the little tables. Under the plan it reads Central Perk, 90 Bedford St, New York.

It's about 24 by 32.7 cm, 4.5 cm deep, and weighs 0.7 kg. That's light for a wall, and the box frame also stands up by itself on a shelf or side table.

In that shot it's sitting on a small round table between two armchairs, and it fit right in. That's a fair test for any gift aimed at a new home. If it only works in a fan cave, it ends up in a cupboard.

2. Monica and Rachel's apartment, and the one across the hall

Our other Friends frame, the Apartment 19 & 20 floor plan, has both apartments on one plan: Monica and Rachel's on one side, Joey and Chandler's on the other. It's a landscape frame labeled 495 Grove Street, New York, the building's address in the show.

Get this one for the fan whose favorite episodes happen across that hallway. The Thanksgivings, say, or the quiz that cost Monica and Rachel their apartment. We map both apartments room by room in our Friends apartment floor plan guide.

3. A yellow peephole frame

The yellow frame around the peephole on Monica's door might be the most copied prop from the show. Lots of makers sell photo frames in that shape, in resin or wood. Put a photo from moving day in it before you wrap it, so it can go straight up on the wall.

4. A key holder based on Monica's door

There are official versions shaped like the yellow frame on her door, with a row of hooks. It's one of the few Friends gifts that gets used every day, since everyone needs somewhere to drop their keys in a new place. Check what the walls are made of, and if it comes with screws, put the right wall plugs in the box too.

5. A Central Perk doormat

A doormat is a classic housewarming gift and an easy one to theme. Two quick checks first. Does their front door open inward, and how much gap is there under it? Thick coir mats can catch on a low door. If you can't find out, buy the thinner mat.

6. Central Perk mugs and coffee for the first morning

OK, the mug. It works better as part of something. Pair two Central Perk mugs with a bag of beans from a roaster near their new place, and the first breakfast is sorted on the morning nothing's unpacked yet.

7. Friends: The Official Central Perk Cookbook

Published by Insight Editions, it has more than 75 recipes inspired by the show and the café, and there's a gift set that comes with a Central Perk apron. A new kitchen and a first dinner party is about the best excuse there is to give it. The recipe names are half the fun. Ross's Space Princess Fantasy Cinnamon Rolls are in there.

8. The LEGO Ideas Central Perk set

LEGO's Central Perk (set 21319) has 1,079 pieces and comes with minifigures of all six friends plus Gunther. Built, it's about 29 cm wide, 22 cm deep and 11 cm high, so make sure there's a shelf for it. It came out in 2019 for the show's 25th anniversary, so check it's still in stock before you count on it. It suits the fan who'd enjoy a slow build on their first quiet weekend in the new place.

Where Central Perk really was

Central Perk was a set at Warner Bros. in Burbank, California, and the building in the exterior shots is 90 Bedford Street in New York's West Village, which is the address on our frame. We walk through the couch, the counter, the stage and how the set was built in our Central Perk floor plan guide.

Central Perk or the apartment: which Friends frame to pick

Go by the scenes they quote. If it's couch conversations and Gunther, pick Central Perk. If it's Thanksgiving and the apartment swap, pick Apartment 19 & 20.

Then think about the wall. Central Perk is a portrait frame, so it suits a narrow spot beside a doorway or on a bookshelf. The apartments frame is landscape and looks better above a desk or a sofa. Both are the same size and the same price, and you can see them side by side in our Iconic Shows collection, next to The Office and The Big Bang Theory.

Where to put a Friends frame in a new place

Our product page says to hang it where the group chat lives, and we stand by that. Usually that's the living room or the kitchen, wherever people end up sitting when they come over. A few practical things:

• Hang it at eye height. Galleries often center art about 145 to 150 cm from the floor, which is a sensible starting point in most homes.
• Keep it out of strong direct sun. Pine darkens slowly in sunlight, so a spot away from the afternoon window keeps it pale for longer.
• It doesn't need a wall at all. It stands fine on a side table or shelf, which helps if they're renting and can't drill.

When to order so it arrives in time

Each frame is made to order in Singapore. It takes 3 to 5 days to make and arrives within about 10 days. Customs can add a few days in some countries. We ship worldwide.

So if the housewarming is on a fixed date, order two to three weeks ahead. If you've left it late, email us at myhausframes@gmail.com before you order and we'll do what we can.

If they'd rather frame their own new place

Some fans want the café on the wall. Others would love their own flat or house up there instead. We make those too, from the floor plan of the actual home, and we've written about it in our guide to closing gift ideas for first-time home buyers.

Friends housewarming gift FAQ

What is a good housewarming gift for a Friends fan?

Something that belongs in a home and nods to the show without shouting about it. A Central Perk or apartment floor plan frame, a yellow peephole frame with a moving-day photo in it, or a key holder for the hallway all suit a new place better than clothes or small merch.

Is Central Perk a real coffee shop?

No. It was a set at Warner Bros. in Burbank, California, where Friends was filmed. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood has a Central Perk set where visitors can sit on the couch.

What is the address of the Friends apartment building?

In the show it's 495 Grove Street. The real building used for the exterior shots is 90 Bedford Street, on the corner of Grove Street in New York's West Village.

What number is Monica's apartment in Friends?

Apartment 20, with Joey and Chandler in 19 across the hall. In early episodes the doors read 5 and 4, and the numbers were changed later to suit apartments that high up in the building.

Are Hausframes Friends frames official merchandise?

No. They're our own fan-made designs, and Hausframes isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Warner Bros. or the makers of Friends.

How long does a Friends floor plan frame take to arrive?

Each one is made to order in Singapore, takes 3 to 5 days to make, and arrives within about 10 days. Customs can add a little time in some countries, so order two to three weeks before the housewarming if you can.

Friends and Central Perk are trademarks of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Our frames are fan-made and not affiliated with or endorsed by Warner Bros.