Why not save your poor dad from having to give an Olivier-worthy performance on receipt of his hundredth tie this Father’s Day, and think outside the box? Even the most effusive dads can be a closed book when it comes to gift-giving, either insisting that they don’t need anything, or just going out and buying the thing that takes their fancy without giving anyone a chance to save it for a special occasion. But with our carefully considered selection of the best Father’s Day gifts for home, there should be something in the mix to please.
- Get ahead of the game for next year, or get inspiration for her birthday, with our list of the best homeware Mother’s Day gifts
- What’s a better gift than a bottle of wine? How about the excuse to crack open another bottle, courtesy of our best wine racks?
Is he the kind of dad who grabs the tongs the moment the mercury climbs into double figures? Look no further than the or the . Got his gaze fixed firmly on the skies (or his head in the clouds)? Take the for a spin. Film buff? . Foodie? . He might not fit neatly into a category at all, but isn’t that exactly why you love him? For more inspiration for dads of all kinds, keep reading...
If he’s already exhausted everything on Dave, give the gift of near-infinite entertainment this Father’s Day with the Google Chromecast. Plug it straight into the TV’s HDMI port, and it mirrors video content from laptops, tablets and mobile phones, including movies, TV shows, YouTube videos and even games. It’s as simple as tapping the Cast button, and reviewers say the set-up couldn’t be easier. He can even turn the TV into a digital picture frame using the photos on his iPad – how’s that for a high-tech way to show off pictures of the grandkids?
Some dads can be reticent about home fragrance, and if you’ve ever suffered through a sickly sweet candle or cloyingly floral spray, you’ll no doubt understand why. But the Tom Dixon Earth diffuser is a new breed of home fragrance. It’s even a new breed of diffuser. Using a single stick of charcoal in place of reeds, and a squat, opaque bottle that wouldn’t look out of place in an alchemy lab, it’s beautifully simple, masculine and low-key. The scent itself is equally so, full of clean green notes like mint and cedar for a fragrance that’s noticeable but not overpowering.
There are coffee tools that do the job, and coffee tools that look good, but what about one that does both? This H.A.N.D carafe set by Toast is just such a thing. Featuring a glass carafe and super-trendy copper-tone filter, it allows you to keep an eye on your brew as it’s happening, a great visual treat compared with the mysterious interior rumblings of the Nespresso machine. The glass jug is double-walled to keep your coffee hot but not burn your fingers when you go to retrieve it.
Dad always fancied himself a bit of a Galileo? With brass hardware and distinctive red beech tripod, this telescope is a thoroughly grown-up means of surveying the heavens, and is certainly handsome enough to keep out at all times in the living room or study, a far cry from the plastic one you had as a kid that got relegated to the loft. It can walk the walk too, with fully-coated 50mm glass optics and powerful 45x zoom magnification, and a neat accessory tray mounted in the adjustable tripod.
British brand Uuni have come up trumps for foodie dads with a portable pizza oven – yep, you read that right. It’s compact enough to be taken on the road for camping, caravaning and other staycations, or simply popped out to the garden on a sunny day that calls for homemade wood-fired pizza, but its petite size belies its power. Reaching temperatures of up to 500 degrees in 10 minutes, it can cook a pizza in 60 seconds, and it looks good while doing it, too.
Whatever you first think of when you clap eyes on the Big Green Egg, it’s a great gift idea for the dad who loves cooking in the great outdoors. As well as looking amazing out on the patio or deck, this barbecue and wood table bundle gives you plenty of prep space, and the large cooker itself offers almost 1.7 square metres of cooking space which translates, according to John Lewis, to two turkeys or seven racks of ribs. The dome gauge thermometer lets you know when it’s up to temperature for foolproof cooking, and the ceramic snuffer cap plus cool-touch exterior means you can just relax when all the cooking’s done.
No matter whether it’s a sunny Sunday breakfast, an al fresco lunch on the patio or a cosy night in front of the TV, this Fortnum & Mason hamper adds a touch of pageantry to any occasion. Its high-quality wicker and leather hamper makes the perfect keepsake even when its goods are all gone, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves, because there are marmalades, preserves, biscuits, chocolates, condiments and tipples to make his way through first. Whether he shares them with your mum is at his discretion – that’s the beauty of Father’s Day, you see.
We’ve had a little pizza oven and even a Big Green Egg, but if your dad’s king of the grill, you might want to consider getting him a gadget that’s befitting of such a title, and we think we’ve found it in the form of this Tower kebab grill. With a hot plate and a grill on board, it can be used to sear some sirloins and griddle mushrooms for a steak dinner, whip up a fry up, or even to rustle up a couple of burgers in lieu of a BBQ for small get-togethers. With non-slip feet, included skewers and drip tray, and dishwasher-safe construction, we hear it’s safe and simple to use, and pretty easy to clean too.
If a dad isn’t either in pursuit of the perfect shed, or happily pottering around the one already in the garden, is he really a dad? Leave no doubt with this personalised shed sign, which can be tailored with your choice of nickname and another line of text to fit the situation, whether they’re fanatical about the flowerbeds or gaga for the greenhouse. Each one is handmade from a piece of reclaimed wood, making it not only unique, but eco-friendly too. How’s that for a thoughtful gift?
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Looking for more garden-inspired gifts? How about a dapper pair of gardening gloves, or something from our list of the best gardening tools?