Father's Day gifts

Last week, I wrote a thing for the Independent about the difficulty of finding good house-y man-gifts – what with father's day (June 16) looming and all, it's chap-friendly one could be a thing to consider. 

There wasn't room to publish all of the nice things I found in my research. So I thought I'd share the lot with you here. 

For snap-happy chaps, or just fans of lovely looking antique gadgetry, Type in east London have a small range of these lamps. Each one is different as they’re made from real vintage cameras. £125 to £195, Type East

Interiors-themed things for fathers, sons, brothers and the others aren't perhaps an obvious choice – since browsing through the average gender-geared ‘gift’ section at online interiors shops, the impression you're left with is that men like their homes exclusively filled with leather, gadgets, golf ephemera and whisky glasses. 

Yeuch. Poor chaps. Even in some of the most stylish shops, there’s room for this naff, derivative theme. It’s as if there was no middle ground between pretty vintage perfume bottles and leather-clad decanters. With some hunting, of course, there’s lots to inspire – it just takes a bit of hunting down.

And Father’s day is a great prompt to scratch beneath the clichés and find good homewares and furniture that any design-appreciative man (and, indeed, woman) can appreciate.

Some classic shops or brands that specialise in the decidedly ungirlie side of design include Folklore, House Doctor DK, Pedlars, Labour & Wait  – or the new contender in that ilk, Objects of Use in Oxford. All good for a preliminary browse. Or perhaps one of our pick of objects will be man enough for the job…

This practical, industrial-style stool by Danish designers, House Doctor DK, is essentially a solid slab of wood and some sturdy metal legs (choice of five colours). A nice office or workshop perch, or a side-table for a cuppa. Each also has “have a seat” stamped into the wood. Sweet.

£79, Bodie and Fou

This award-winning solid steel “Bull Trophy” bike rack comes in different colours and finishes, and looks just as good as décor when the bike’s in use.

£79, Outline Works Ltd

Swedish illustrator, Ingela Arrhenius specialises in bold, graphic prints with a midcentury flavour. What well-dressed man could resist this chap? £18.95, Hus and Hem

I've written about this lovely lampshade company before. And the idea behind their Tee Lights is simple: take his favourite old band (or other) T-shirt – and get it turned into a beautiful, bespoke “Tee Light” lampshade. The one pictured was made for a fan of the late hip hop producer, J Dilla. (Each is a one-off.) £250, Belle & Videre 

Tala’s pleasing retro metal measuring cups don’t just include the better-known baking ones. This display-friendly Thali Measure comes in two shades (“coriander” and “tumeric”) and includes a recipe booklet, too. £15.95, Divertimenti

Echoing the classic plastic 1960s Uten.Silo by Dorothee Becker, this metal wall-tidy for bits and bobs has a pleasingly industrial edge. Designed by Danish company, House Doctor DK, it is good in any room for stashing everything from dressing table bits to nails to kitchen clutter.

£169.99, Bodie & Fou

British designer Nick Munro has created a range of homewares for the RNLI. Using the flag system pioneered by Lord Nelson, his two colourful tea-towel designs spell out ‘wet’ or ‘dry’ (and proceeds go to the charity). £10, RNLI Shop

A classic, framed, Getty Images print – if you can find the perfect, personalised image – is a stylish gift to give. John Lewis stock an inspiring range: this one – a 1967 shot of Eric Clapton’s Cream – could be good for guitar geeks. £200, John Lewis

The range of literary prints by Spineless Classics is a simple but excellently executed idea: a cult tome is turned into a work of art – by using the full text of the book to create the graphic. From £39.99 unframed, Spineless Classics

This beautiful cheese board is made from sycamore wood and colour blocked with white painted edge. It features a leather strap and comes with an aesthically-pleasing blue wooden semi-circle that can be fixed to the wall to act as a hanger. £150, Shop Folklore