22 Unique and Unusual Gifts for Daughter-in-Law to Make Her Happy

Last updated on August 4th, 2023

When it comes to gifts, it’s the thought that counts. Especially when you’re welcoming a new family member, the thoughts mean everything.

Here are 22 unique and unusual gifts for your daughter-in-law to make her feel special and at home.

The list focuses on newlyweds, but it works just as well for any occasion.

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Unique and Unusual Gifts for Your Daughter-in-Law

1. Leather Coasters

Table coasters are great for protecting surfaces from heat and spillage. These table coasters look amazing and come with these features:

• Made from 100% PU leather, meaning it’s vegan
• 5 inches across and 1.4 inches tall, making it suitable for all purposes but not too cumbersome
• Environment friendly
• Boasts a 1-year warranty and lifetime friendly service

2. Dreamcatcher

Dreamcatchers are a wonderful addition to any bedroom. Not only do they look good, but some say they catch good dreams and purge nightmares. This unusual gift for daughter-in-law has these features:

• Lightens up the bedroom
• Looks beautiful
• Made of metal, wood, and feathers, making it environment-friendly
• Keeps the inner child happy and wondering

3. Incense Burner

Showpieces that serve a function are the best gifts ever, and if the function is to garner good vibes, then that’s a very loving gesture.

It’ll integrate you with the good vibes of the gift. That’s where this incense burner comes in. The features of this unique gift are:

• Burns backflow incense and stick incense
• Smoke flows down like a waterfall and looks very beautiful
• Produces wonderful smells, comes in seven flavors

4. Terrarium

Terrariums are terrific things. They’re self-sustaining little worlds in glass enclosures, complete with living creatures for you to marvel at.

They make fantastic showpieces. This one comes with these features:

• Zero maintenance
• Contains live marine shrimp and algae which feed on each other, ensuring zero waste
• Made from hand blown glass, causing tiny imperfections and giving it a rustic look

5. Bioluminescent Aquarium

Continuing the alternative, live showpiece theme, comes the bioluminescent aquarium.

Instead of fish, this house bioluminescent algae called dinoflagellates. This one comes with these features:

• Three modes: bubble, streak, and whirl
• Includes stem approved sample experiments
• Conduct experiments and marvel at its beauty – a perfect blend of science and art

6. Wizard’s Chess

Is your daughter-in-law a Potterhead? Then surely this will send her over the moon.

Chess is a bonding and brain training activity that’s going out of fashion, which makes this set worth keeping. The features are:

• Highly detailed miniature scale model of the giant chess set seen in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
• Large 10.63-inch board with pieces ranging from 2-4 inches
• Officially recognized by Warner Brothers

7. Silver Moon Pendant

Jewelry will always be one of the best gifts for your daughter-in-law. In the East especially, it’s a big thing.

This is a perfect 91,196,160:1 scale model of both of the moon’s surfaces made of 0.999 silver. The features of this unusual gift for daughter-in-law are:

• Made of 0.999 pure fine silver
• 91,196,160:1 scale model
• 30″ gunmetal grey chain

8. Handmade Wooden Chopsticks

Using chopsticks is the standard way of enjoying a large section of Asian cuisine. Having a suave, nonstandard set shows respect towards the culture and impresses Asian guests. This handmade wooden chopsticks set comes with these features:

• Handmade with wood
• Non-slip function
• Dishwasher safe
• 9 inches, set of 5 pairs
• Decorated by hand

9. Windchime

Windchimes are magnificent things. They look nice, they sound nice, and they add an outdoorsy feel to the household. This one strikes a chord on the G major scale and makes a calm, soothing sound, but never gets boring. The features of this windchime are:

• Six aluminum tubes playing six different notes from the G major scale
• Made of sustainable materials, making it environment friendly
• Produces a calm, soothing sound
• Adds an elegant, outdoorsy feel

10. Telescope

Is your daughter-in-law a bird watcher or a Pirates of the Caribbean fan? Then she’ll love this. Not only does this telescope look like it’s stolen from a pirate, but it also provides clear, 25x vision. The features are:

• 25x magnification with 30mm diameter lens
• Made of metal and leather
• Waterproof, collapsible
• Includes telescope, lens cloth, leather case, and 1-year warranty

11. Turntable

A classic and revered addition to any household, turntables are the perfect present for your musician or music lover daughter-in-law.

These pricey pieces have a bad name for being pretentious, so buying one for yourself is off the table most of the time, making it the perfect gift! The features of this unique gift are:

• Automatic turntable with 2 speeds, 33.33 and 45 RPM
• Tonearm and headshell is designed to reduce resonance and improve tracking speeds

12. Hourglass

A timeless timepiece, hourglasses will never go out of fashion. It’s nice to have a dedicated timekeeping tool instead of whipping the phone out for everything. This one has these features:

• Made from hand-blown borosilicate glass
• Free replacement in case of damage during shipping
• Make a custom set – these range from 3 minutes to 60 minutes, with practical steps in between

13. Wine Bag

This one is for those daughters-in-law who are wine lovers. Oftentimes, carrying bottles around is a hassle, and sometimes it’s downright scoffed upon. This gift will make it easy for her to conveniently conceal vino on the go. It is surely one of the most unusual gifts for daughter-in-law. The features of this unusual gift for daughter-in-law are:

• 5 L insulated beverage pouch that can hold a hot or cold beverage
• Roomy enough to hold everyday items along with beverage
• Beautiful and stylish, carrying wine around doesn’t mean you have to loosen the fashion string

14. Bottle Opener

Another one for the wine connoisseurs is a bottle opener. Since your daughter-in-law is a strong, independent woman like they all should be, she shouldn’t need others to open her wine bottles. Enter high-quality, easy-to-use bottle opener. This one boasts these features:

• Made of stainless steel and rosewood, making it feel as nice as it looks
• Teflon coated worm and double-hinged fulcrum for ultimate comfort
• Serrated foil cutter and bottle opener integrated

15. Doorstop

Every home needs doorstops, especially the windy ones. But they don’t have to be boring. This fun doorstop comes with these features:

• Made from recycled cast iron, making it heavy-duty and environment friendly
• Cat shaped, bonus points if your daughter-in-law is a cat lover!
• The bottom surface is polished and painted, thereby protecting hardwood floors

16. Handmade Necklace

Handmade craft items are special. Each item is unique and carries an intimate, loving touch that’s never quite found in machined items.

This handmade necklace will be praised by everyone, whether they like traditional jewelry made from metals and gems, or contemporary ones. The features of this necklace are:

• Made with darkened, aged copper, glass, and real dandelion
• Handmade, so no two pieces are ever the same
• Comes with a 24″ adjustable Figaro chain

17. Hanging Planters

Plants add much-needed greenery and life to living spaces, and they purify the air. The fact that they look tremendous is a bonus. These wall mounted planters come with these features:

• Made from iron alloy, rust-resistant, long-lasting color
• Ideal for succulents, herbs, climbing plants, and evergreens
• 30-day 100% money-back guarantee

18. Roomba

How does an intelligent cleaning robot sound?

One that roams the house and cleans of its own accord? Amazing is an understatement.

Roombas are on the expensive side and are convenient tools, so they make excellent yet unique gifts for daughter-in-law. This one comes with these features:

• Noiseless, yet capable of removing even the smallest particles
• Can be controlled with a remote
• Anti-drop, anti-collision, and automatic charging mean you can all but forget about it

19. Pour-Over Coffee Maker

Coffee connoisseurs and casual coffee drinkers — everybody appreciates a good coffee maker.

Since good coffee largely relies on the brewing method, a good coffee maker is an essential part of your java journey. It is surely one of the useful yet unusual gifts for daughter-in-law.  This coffee maker has these features:

• Made from high-quality non-porous Borosilicate glass, ensuring no flavors are introduced
• Suitable for refrigerating
• Looks elegant

20. Knitting Needles with Interchangeable Tips

Knitting is an art that’s going out of fashion. However, it’s a great hobby to pursue. Not only does it allow for special, homemade clothing, but it’s a great way to pass the time.

Gift this to your daughter-in-law to spark a new hobby in her, and if she’s already a veteran of the yarns, give her a new arsenal. This cool gift set comes with these features:

• 9 pairs of interchangeable wooden tips and 8 black end caps
• Made of laminated birch and sports 4 memory free cables for comfortable knitting
• Comes with a convenient carrying case

21. Sous Vide Machine

Sous vide has caught on. It’s an easy way of ensuring even cooking without the fear of over or undercooked food. It also allows for textures that were unachievable. This one has these features:

• Smaller than most sous vide machines, perfect for stowing away
• Connects over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
• Over 3000 hours of continuous cook time

22. Echo Show 8

A smart display can do wonders. From video calling and viewing online content, to controlling the smart home system, or putting on a slideshow of your choice, to DJing a party — they can do it all. The Echo Show 8 comes with the following features:

• Compatible with nearly all streaming services like Netflix, Spotify, Apple Music, etc
• Access smart voice assistants like Alexa
• The off switch for camera and microphone for added privacy

Gifts are just extensions of your thoughts to a loved one. These unusual gifts for daughter-in-law listed above will surely perform that duty in style!

When it comes to super special people like your daughter-in-law, this rings truer than ever.

The unique and unusual gifts for daughter-in-law on the list are well thought out with convenience, function, and beauty in mind.

Pick one or any combination from the list and make a lasting impression on her mind. After all, she deserves to be treated like the special person she is.

Before you leave, you might also like to check out these guides below that may help to stir more gift ideas:

25th Birthday Gift Ideas for Daughter [30 Ideas]

24 Preppy Things to Buy: To Own or to Gift

21st Birthday Gift Ideas for Daughter [30 Special & Meaningful Ideas]

Pro Tip: Apart from these gift ideas above, if you really want to make your daughter-in-law truly happy, try gifts inside balloons.