Best for coffee lovers: BLACK+DECKER Single Serve Coffeemaker
There are few better ways to start your day than with a fresh cup of coffee. But in an apartment with negligible counter space, who has room for a full-sized pot? Instead, this compact coffee maker (it measures 5.47 x 6.14 x 9.41 inches) can easily fit on the corner of a table and brews straight into a travel mug—saving your bud time during their morning routine.
Best for music lovers: JBL Flip 5 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker
This portable speaker from JBL can connect to any device that supports Bluetooth, as well as other JBL Connect+ speakers to create an apartment-wide sound system. Plus, it’s waterproof, just in case you (or a friend) spills after one too many eggnogs. (If you want to spend more, there are more, more expensive JBL party speakers we also recommend, but a speaker in a small space gets loud quickly so they might be overkill.)
Best for gardeners: Mr. Stacky Smart Farm Automatic Self-Watering Garden
Just because you don’t have a backyard garden doesn’t mean you can’t grow your own food. This vertical garden from Mr. Stacky comes with all apartment dwellers need: a water pump, timers, fertilizer, and a growing guide. This garden takes up just 18.5 inches of floor space, but comes with room for 20 plants. And the self-watering function makes it easy for green thumbs living in small spaces.
Best for cooking: Bonbowl Cooktop and Cookware
No fancy stovetop-and-oven combo in the apartment? No problem! Bonbowl’s ingenious combo induction heater and dish in one lets people cut down on the dishes as well. Designed with an electric cord, this burner is heated with magnets that save energy and uses sensors to make sure food is cooked to the right temperature. It’s perfect for oatmeal, pasta, quinoa, lentils, and other grains. Just cook and eat from the bowl. An accompanying lid also lets people save leftovers in the fridge, making this an ideal gift for people who live in small apartments.
Best for science lovers: PopSci+ Subscription
Magazines take up very little room and this one, in particular, only requires the space already set aside for your phone or tablet. That’s a lot of info and entertainment in your pocket or pack. They’ll get unlimited access to PopSci content, can dive deep into 20 years’ worth of archives, and save 5 percent on PopSci merch. Also, come on, it’s less than the cost of a movie for an annual subscription.
Best for cleaning: Boost IQ Robovac from eufy by Anker
Best for storage: Nisuns Folding Storage Ottoman Cube
Sometimes after a long day, people who live in small apartments just want to sit back and put their feet up. Like the BEAM attached to the International Space Station, this cube stores flat until needed, then unfurls. They can stick it in a corner until they’ve got something to put away or need extra seating for guests.
Best for TV watchers: Fire 4K TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote
The Fire 4K TV Stick can sync with all of your friend’s streaming apps, including Netflix and Hulu. It gives recommendations from each and lets the user choose what they want to watch when they want to watch it. Also, this takes away the need to shell out a ton of money every month for actual cable, making it an ideal choice for people who live in small apartments.
Best for book lovers: Kindle Paperwhite E-reader
Your pal doesn’t have space for a bookcase headboard. They don’t even have room for books. But they do have room for a Kindle. The Paperwhite e-reader is slim and lightweight, making your friend’s new virtual library super portable and easy to store.
Best for bakers: Joseph and Joseph Nesting Bowls
If they’re a recent grad, the least you can do this holiday season is give them an attractive set of mixing bowls, measuring cups, and measuring spoons. This set nests in a satisfying rainbow, so they only need to set aside enough room for one mixing bowl.
Best for game lovers: Sushi Go!
Have a (board) gamer in your life? Sushi Go! is a really fun card-passing game that takes virtually no time to learn. And when you’re done, the whole thing fits into a container the size of a stack of index cards. The game is for two to five players, so your pal can host a (very snug) night of sushi and Sushi Go!.
