Indoor gnome figurines and seasonal displays

The small fabric-and-resin figures sold in pairs and sets are a different object from a garden gnome, with a different ancestry. They live indoors, they change with the season, and they are the fastest-growing part of this shelf.

Tomte and nisse

The indoor figure descends from the Scandinavian tomte in Sweden and nisse in Norway and Denmark — a small bearded household being of folklore, associated with a farm and its wellbeing.

The folklore is genuinely old and reasonably consistent: the tomte looked after the farm, expected respect and a bowl of porridge at Christmas, and was liable to cause trouble if slighted. It was a household figure, not a garden one, which is why its modern descendant sits on a shelf rather than in a border.

The visual convention — a long beard, a pointed hat over the eyes, a small round nose and no visible face — is a modern decorative simplification rather than a traditional depiction.

What they are made of

Most combine a fabric or faux-fur beard, a felt or knitted hat, a wooden or resin nose and a weighted base. They are not weatherproof and are not meant to be.

Larger seasonal figures may be entirely fabric over a wire frame. Smaller ones are often solid resin with fabric detail.

Where a maker states the materials, our listings repeat them — which matters here because fabric figures and resin figures are cleaned completely differently.

Arranging a tiered tray

The tiered tray is where these figures usually end up, and it follows the same rules as any small display.

• Odd numbers. Three items per tier reads better than two or four.
• Vary the height. A tall figure, a shorter one, something low and horizontal.
• Leave space. A tray packed to the edges reads as storage. Two thirds full reads as arranged.
• Repeat one colour across the tiers to tie it together — usually taken from the hats.

Sold in pairs for a reason: two figures of different heights, angled slightly towards each other, is a complete arrangement on its own.

Seasonal, not just Christmas

The tradition is midwinter and the market has long since spread across the year. Lavender and butterfly figures for spring, bee figures for early summer, sunflower and coffee-themed figures at any time.

The practical advantage is that a tray can change five or six times a year for the cost of a few small figures, which is why people who start with one pair generally do not stop at one.

Where they go besides a tray

A mantelpiece, a windowsill, a bookshelf, the top of a kitchen cabinet, a bathroom shelf. Anywhere small and at eye level.

Two positions to avoid. Direct sunlight fades fabric quickly — noticeably within a season on a south-facing sill. And anywhere they will be knocked, because a weighted base tips more readily than it looks.

Cleaning

Fabric and faux fur — dust with a soft brush or the upholstery attachment of a vacuum on low. Marks come off with a barely damp cloth, worked gently. Do not wash, do not soak; the internal stuffing holds water and the base is usually weighted with something that should not get wet.

A matted beard can be combed out with a soft brush.

Resin figures — a damp cloth and dry immediately.

Storing them between seasons

This is where seasonal figures get ruined.

Store them upright, not stacked. Weight on a fabric hat crushes it into a shape it keeps.

Use a rigid box with a lid rather than a bag. Bags allow crushing and let dust in.

Somewhere dry — not a basement, not an unheated garage. Fabric in a damp store picks up a smell that does not come out, and it attracts insects.

A little tissue around each figure prevents rubbing between them and keeps hats in shape.

As gifts

These are among the most reliable small gifts on this shelf, and the reason is that they are inexpensive, they require nothing of the recipient, and a pair is a complete present rather than the start of a collection somebody has to maintain.

The seasonal ones work particularly well as a hostess gift, because they suit a specific time of year and do not have to be displayed forever.

Where to look

The indoor pairs and seasonal sets are on the gnome figurine sets page. If what you want is something for outdoors instead, the weatherproof pieces are at garden gnome statues and funny and novelty gnomes, and lit ones at solar gnomes with lights.