The Best Gifts for Someone in a Small Apartment

What actually lands, in order

A closet-stored guest bed. A tri-fold mattress folds to about 31 by 25 by 18 inches and stands in a wardrobe, so it needs no floor and no decision from them. It arrives compressed, so it gets through any door. This is the gift most likely to be used.

A replacement mattress for a sofa bed they already own. If they have a pull-out, this is transformative — a 4.5-inch gel memory foam replacement stops the frame telegraphing. It is also the one on this list where you must check a measurement first (see below).

A roll-up floor futon. Real mattress sizes, 10 to 14.5 pounds, no footprint when stored. Good for someone who occasionally hosts and has no spare corner at all.

A proper mattress for a daybed or trundle they are using with something thin. Less exciting to unwrap and more appreciated every night.

The one thing to check before you order

If you are buying a mattress for furniture they already own, the size names in this category do not mean what they appear to.

So “they have a queen sofa bed” is not enough information. You need either the measured size of the mattress currently in it, or the model of the sofa. Asking is unromantic and cheaper than a return.

The safe options that need no measurement: a tri-fold, a floor futon in a standard mattress size, or a conventional twin mattress for a daybed. Full reference in sleeper sofa mattress sizes.

What they will have to add to use it

Worth knowing so you can include it or mention it.

A tri-fold at 78 by 38 inches has no matching fitted sheet in general retail. A flat sheet works. If you want the gift to be complete, add one.

A floor futon should not live directly on the floor for more than a night or two — it traps moisture. A slatted roll-up base or a breathable mat completes it.

A sofa-bed replacement mattress needs nothing extra, but warn them to check the sofa still closes before they get rid of the old one.

An eight-inch mattress needs a shallow-pocket or low-profile fitted sheet; most fitted sheets are now cut for 10 to 14 inches and will billow.

What not to buy them

A sofa bed. Sized to a room you have not measured, 60 to 110 pounds, and impossible to return discreetly. If they need one, send them the measuring guide and let them choose.

A cabinet bed. Same problem at 170 to 250 pounds, plus a delivery route question.

Anything for a wall bed they do not have. Wall beds have mattress weight limits at both ends — Bestar specifies 60 to 90 pounds — so mattresses for them are not a guess you can make from outside.

A mattress topper for a convertible sofa. The problem on those is a structural fold seam, and a topper does not remove it. It is the most commonly given and least effective gift in this category.

For someone moving into their first small apartment

Slightly different brief: they do not yet know what their guest-bed arrangement is, so give something that works regardless.

A tri-fold or a roll-up mattress works in any room, needs no furniture, and does not commit them to a layout. An eight-inch twin mattress works if you know they are getting a daybed. Nothing else is safe until they have measured.

If you would rather give them information than an object, the two pages worth sending are how to measure and which guest bed is right for your room.