The phrase “home is where the heart is” has become a cliché. It is certainly age-old, possibly attributable to the Roman author Pliny the Elder. These words have taken on a new relevance for me since I moved lock, stock and far too many books over 200 miles into my new apartment. Pondering my options for transforming a bland shell into a beautiful shelter, and naturally anticipating the flow of “new home”’ gifts that would soon overwhelm my concierge, I realised how fraught the task of gifting interior decor truly is. But the onerous is never without opportunity and, if done well, the rewards for giver and receiver can be special indeed.

The most important thing to remember with interior gifting is that the item should reflect the taste of the recipient, even if they do need a nudge into more aesthetically appropriate territory. Unless you want to buy something that will end up in an online auction, you need to do your research.

An interior gift likely to please most recipients is a candle. I’m a devout fan of Cire Trudon. The company’s covetable green glass jars are a convincing expression of conspicuous consumption and will show your beneficiary how much they mean to you. Care is needed, however, in selecting the appropriate fragrance. I still remember the bittersweet experience of receiving a candle – not Cire Trudon – for a birthday present. Discovering the fragrance was pungent, rather than perfumed, was a bad omen indeed and neither candle nor partner, who had gifted it to me, remained in my home for long. Cire Trudon’s Odalisque should see you right.

Glassware is a gift that can provide practicality and panache. Unless you know your recipient well, it’s probably best to avoid coloured glass. If your recipient has known you for a long time, you’ll have cured them of any belief that multi-coloured glassware is a sensible idea. L’Atelier du Vin’s Vieux Millésime mouth-blown glass decanter is a simple, functional item that is all the more beautiful for this. It is sufficiently handsome to be displayed on a sideboard and would provoke audible signs of awe when pressed into service at a dinner party.

The nicest interior gifts I have received have been from people who have a deep knowledge of my character and could identify a need that had otherwise eluded me. These become the gifts you cannot live without. One such example is Linley’s Tambour walnut note holder. Whether destined for the bedside table or office desk, this exquisitely crafted item would be a fitting present for the man who has much, but needs assistance with his organisation. As with all of the gifts mentioned here, it will provide pleasure beyond the moment of unwrapping and become a conduit of memory that will remind the gift-giver of you constantly. Who could ask for more than that?

Dr Benjamin Wild is a cultural historian and lecturer in contextual studies. He specialises in the history of fashion and the decorative arts