2019's 'Cleverest' Products To Make Your Life A Little Easier

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – There is no end to the new gadgets marketed in stores and online that claim to be "the one you just can't live without."

So to help you figure out which ones might really be worthwhile, Architectural Digest's digital channel, Clever, just released its annual "Cleverest Awards," highlighting what it considers to be the best of the best.

"We want products that look very cool, but they also need to perform some sort of task that makes your life a little more easy," Market Editor Madeline O'Malley told CBSN New York.

O'Malley said she combed through thousands of products to find the ones worthy of being called clever.

"We're going to fairs, design fairs. We're going to shops. We're going out into the world looking for these products," she said. "It's a blast."

The result is the 50 cleverest, and this year they include some inventive takes on modular furniture, like a chameleon-like chair that can adapt to any décor. Some smart storage solutions also made the list, and O'Malley said sustainability was an important consideration.

"We want to be minimizing plastic, we want to be using products that you can reuse, and we want to be saving the planet," she said.

Some brightly colored straws caught their attention.

"We are seeing a lot of different companies that are making reusable straws, because it is such a buzzy movement right now, which is great because we all want to be minimizing plastic and we want to be minimizing straw use," said O'Malley. "The difference with these straws that's cool is that you can actually bend them and put them into their own little carrying case."

It's $25 for 10 straws, four cases and cleaners.

Also on the sustainable front: some colored knobs.

"One of the easiest and most affordable ways to refresh your home décor for a new season is to switch out your cabinet hardware," O'Malley said.

They have a great feel and are made of ocean plastic. Your drawers or cabinets will look good while you're doing good. They're $55 each.

For more on the eco-front, check out reusable brew bottles for $40. Double walls keep drinks hot or cold with a removable stainless steel filter.

Speaking of drinks, there are some "super party ready" glasses.

"They transition you from cocktail hour to dinner seamlessly. The smaller portion of it fits a shot exactly, so you can use it for measuring in cocktails, you can take a shot of tequila, and then you can flip it right over, put it on your dinner table, and the top portion is seven ounces, which is perfect for a glass of wine," said O'Malley.

Raise a glass or take a shot with a set of four glasses for $100.

To add to a festive table: a clever candlestick that's also eco-friendly. It's 3D printed from sugar cane and cornstarch.

"What's really cool about this too is that it's modular, so you can mix and match the pieces," O'Malley said.

Lots of options for $48.

In the "why didn't I think of this" category: a butter sleeve. The $6 holder claims to keep butter fresh and fingers clean when buttering a pan.

"This oven is incredible, it's actually a counter top appliance that serves the purpose of like six counter top appliances. So it's a convection oven, a broiler, a toaster, an air fryer, a dehydrator and a warming drawer all in one," said O'Malley.

It's a good fit for the space-starved city if you have $599.

"You're saving money and saving time, as it's one device that's doing the job of six different devices," she added.

That's just part of what makes it and the others the very definition of clever.

To see the complete list, click here.