YOu are a great friend. I personally use two different floor hoops. One a Grace hoop that is a rounded 36"square on an arm that extends over my lap and the other is a 36" round Hintenberg hoop that I can sit with it spanning my lap. While they both take up some space they are not nearly as cumbersome as a large rectangular floor hoop. I use them for anything single bed size or larger. I use PVC frames for anything small enough to just cover my lap.
Both of my floor frames were expensive but I have more than gotten my money's worth out of both of them.
I would suggest you give your friend a gift card "toward" the frame of her choice.