Dong-dong-qiang season is upon us once more, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your street cred to get into the festive mood. From homeware and decor that’ll induce the envy of your houseguests to accessories to level up your OOTD’s huat factor, here are the best Chinese New Year home decor and accessories to snag this year.
We know it’s a mad scramble to get ahold of CNY essentials last-minute, so to make things easier, you can get all of these items online without leaving the house. Add to cart today so you can get your loot in time!
Table of Contents
Image credit: Shopee
Nobody likes tackling a mountain of dirty plates, cups, and cutlery, but having a cute dishwashing companion almost makes it a joyous affair.
For $0.99 each, these mahjong kitchen sponges come dry-compressed and are incredibly compact and easy to store. When you need to use them, simply wet the wood pulp material to have it expand and puff up. There is a wide range of mahjong tile designs so you can stock up for months at a time: fa, zhong, the 4 Winds, ba wan, and jiu wan.
Get the mahjong kitchen sponge.
Image credit: Shopee
Coasters are a must when you host guests and everyone’s sipping on a cold bevvy. Instead of just gaudy red and tacky patterns, these CNY greeting coasters have bright colours and checkered retro designs.
Get them individually at $7.07 each, with your choice of Chinese characters: fa (prosper), shun (smooth-sailing), ji (luck), and le (happiness).
Get retro CNY coasters.
Image credit: Shopee
It’s a well-known fact that the elders love seeing vibrant and colourful outfits when you go knockin’ on their door for angbaos. With these embroidery hair clips ($4.07 each), you can easily add a pop of colour and auspicious vibes to any outfit.
They come in simple Chinese character designs saying fortune or abundance, as well as more detailed designs with full greetings and phrases of prosperity. We never knew there’d be an aesthetic way to don miniature CNY greeting banners on your head, but here we are.
Image credit: LEGO
LEGO has released some gorgeous festive playsets which double as both decor and a great bonding activity. Heralding the Year of the Dragon is the Auspicious Dragon ($129.90), containing 1,100+ pieces and forming quite the majestic statement piece to display for your bai nian guests.
Image adapted from: LEGO
For a more timeless piece that you can showcase no matter the zodiac year, you can get the Family Reunion Celebration set ($159.90). With 1,800+ pieces, there are so many different scenes, characters, and little details that you’ll likely find a new surprise for every CNY you whip it out.
Get the LEGO Auspicious Dragon and LEGO Family Reunion Celebration.
Image credit: Shopee
With a coin bank this cute, we may very well be more disciplined to save money amidst inflation. The fairly minimalist ceramic piece looks as if the dragon is lovingly cradling the iconic Starbucks cup; a representation of your fate whenever you save up enough to treat yourself to a Starbies cuppa.
Although it’s quite pricey at $45.90, it’s a solid investment to bring in more huat for the Year of the Dragon. Now all you have to do is to keep your lil pet dragon well-fed.
Get the Starbucks dragon coin bank.
Image credit: Shopee
Not only are these uniquely Singaporean bath mats ($16.90) highly rated for being absorbent and non-slip, they also sport cheeky and relatable sayings that’ll give your house guests a chuckle when they’re about to answer nature’s call.
We stan the Cai Shen Ye print along with well wishes for you to tio beh pio, meaning to strike the lottery. Plop it in your home to get more good luck when you buy 4D and TOTO! And if you’re hosting a mahjong sesh, rubbing your feet on the heng ong huat mahjong tile design may very well give your winning chances a boost.
Get non-slip bath mat.
Image credit: Shopee
CNY merch has never been this elegant and fashionable. Looking low-key like a luxury accessory but only costing $20.80, this mahjong crossbody bag combines a classy calligraphy-style mahjong tile design with a sleek gold chain that’ll will atas-ify your OOTD.
A major plus point is that the size is perfect for you to store your essentials like your phone, wallet, and all the angbaos you’ll be reaping. Choose from 3 designs: fa, zhong, and ba wan.
Get the mahjong crossbody bag.
Image credit: Shopee
If you’re hosting reunion dinner at home, these table place mats ($2.67 each) are sure to elevate the experience. The non-tacky designs with auspicious phrases will delight the older folks, for instance, bao fu (get rich) and da ji (good luck).
The fact that they’re not garish red and in-your-face with CNY designs also mean that they’ll make a trendy and unique dining table accessory throughout the year.
Get CNY table place mats.
Image credit: Shopee
For the same quirky designs as seen on the table place mats, get these sofa cushions ($2.78-$4.23) to adorn your couch with. There are 27 design options available, in various sizes for you to mix and match. Some of the wholesome phrases include “ri jian fu you” (getting richer day by day) and “wan shi OK” (everything will be OK).
Image credit: IKEA
Meanwhile, the kids will get a chuckle out of these IKEA dragon cushions. To give the little ones some entertainment that’s not from a screen, just get them to put on their own dragon dance performance with the cushions perched against their face. Even when there aren’t kids in the household, the bold and unique design is sure to come in clutch as a convo starter.
Get quirky sofa cushions and IKEA lion dance cushions.
10. 3D dragon Crocs Jibbitz
Image credit: Shopee
CNY is all about going to bai nian in your new threads, and new kicks to match. If you’re rocking Crocs for this year’s house visits, make sure to pop these 3D dragon Jibbitz in. We guarantee your shoes will be drawing compliments at every household.
Not only is the design super on theme for this year’s zodiac, they also come in a 3D design where the head, body, and tail of the dragon come in separate pieces. When arranged in a line, the dragon looks like it’s coursing through your Croc. They’re available in 6 colours, at $1.64 a set.
Image adapted from: Shopee
Avoid the CNY surcharge and last-minute rush for appointment slots at nail salons. For just $2.61, you can get a pack of nail art stickers to glam up your talons. No UV setting or gel polish is needed; these waterproof adhesives are made to be strong enough to withstand regular hand-washing.
Designs feature festive colours like red and gold, with kawaii designs featuring lion dance, lanterns, mahjong, ingots, and koi fish. They’re certainly auspicious enough to impress the seniors, but not gaudy at all so you can still retain your style points.
Get CNY nail stickers.
Image adapted from: Shopee
These little dragon statuettes are adorable enough to display around your home, or on your desk to bring some festive pep to your workspace. The best part is, the base comes with a little notch, so you can use it to prop up your phone.
Those serving dual functions are priced from $5.91. But if you want just the statuette alone, there are plenty of designs to choose from, priced $3.06 onwards. The options include dragons donning lion dance costumes, carrying gold ingots and bags of money, and presenting CNY greeting banners.
Get dragon statuettes.
Pet bandana (left) and pet collar (right).
Image adapted from: Modparade
Your furkid shouldn’t be left out of the festive ‘fits fun. Made by homegrown fashion brand, Modparade, is an adorably named pet accessories collection: Pawparade. Their pet bandanas ($17.90) come in designs like the maneki neko AKA fortune cat, rabbits for the Year of the Rabbit, and mahjong tiles.
If you don’t want to fiddle with tying a bandana, you can get a pet bandana collar ($12.90) to easily buckle on. The designs include minimalist moneybags and mahjong tiles, traditional maneki neko, and a “fortune doggo” twist on the fortune cat.
Get Pawparade pet accessories.
CNY is that one time a year where folks look forward to going all-out in the festive vibes. Be it stocking your pantry with snacks and goodies or getting your hair done and purchasing spanking new outfits, the prep work is almost half the fun.
For the savvy homeowners or fashionistas out there who wish to strike a balance between embracing maximum CNY vibes and not getting judged for being obiang, we gotchu with these reccs.
Here are more guides for you to get CNY-ready:
A portion of this content may contain referral links to products. However, all opinions are ours.
Article originally published on 17th January 2023. Last updated on 24th January 2024.
Cover image adapted from: Shopee
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