Summary: I’ve bought three couches over the past decade, each one chasing a different phase of life โ€” first apartment, first baby, and now a family of four who needs a living room that can survive snack time and blanket forts. This time around, Thuma’s Signature L Sectional and Nest Credenza checked every box: Modular, durable, and built with sustainability baked in. One full summer and countless yogurt spills later, I’m still convinced itโ€™s the perfect fit for family life. Read on for why.

What I Love About Thuma:

  • The modular sectional grows and reconfigures with us, and assembly is shockingly fast โ€” 30 minutes flat, even with two small kids underfoot.
  • Sustainability is core to the brand, not a marketing layer. GREENGUARD Gold certification, upcycled solid wood, OEKO-TEX and CertiPUR-US certified materials, and a longstanding One Tree Planted partnership that’s funded over 550,000 trees.
  • The performance fabric is built for real family life. Spot cleaning handled everything from cheese-puff dust to smeared yogurt to jumping on the couch with shoes on, and being able to remove the cushion covers took care of the rest.

Things To Keep In Mind:

  • The fabric is a tradeoff, not a compromise-free win. It’s 84% polyester and 16% acrylic, so if you’re set on natural fiber, this isn’t that couch.
  • The packaging is no joke. Twelve boxes took us weeks to break down and recycle, even with a second bin borrowed from a neighbor.
  • White Glove Delivery isn’t included by default โ€” it’s a $295 add-on, and honestly, the cardboard alone makes a case for it.

Like many, I acquired my first couch secondhand. My husband and I had just moved into our first home, and we drove all the way to West Hollywood to pick up a tiny sectional, transporting it in his 1999 pickup truck. I remember we had to pull over on a freeway that had no shoulder because it wasnโ€™t properly secured.

A few years later, just before our daughter was born, we purchased our first brand new couch. Still in our 1000-square-foot craftsman with a funky layout, it needed to be no more than 80 inches, but also needed to serve multiple purposes because we were in our 20s and the living room doubled as our guest room for our child-free friends.

“A few years, another baby, and a move up the street later, we were outgrowing our little blue sleeper.”

A few years, another baby, and a move up the street later, we were outgrowing our little blue sleeper. Each night our family of four would cozy up on the couch in our new living room, and what once was a peaceful time for snuggles before bed was now all elbows and knees and complaints about who was touching who.

Once again, we were on the hunt, and this time around I fell in love with the newly popular modular sofas, which are made of separate, movable pieces that allow for layout flexibility whenever our space needs a change. Our priorities also included durability, cost-consciousness, sustainability, kid-friendly colorways, removable cushion covers for cleaning, and enough aesthetics to be the main statement piece in our living room. Basically, I was looking for a unicorn โ€” and Thuma just happened to make one. 

About Thuma

Thumaโ€™s design ethos stems from the belief that simplicity is the ultimate luxury, which mirrors my own approach to design. This might be why I canโ€™t seem to stop acquiring their pieces and putting them in my home โ€” earlier this year I reviewed their Nest Dresser and Nightstands.

“Thumaโ€™s design ethos stems from the belief that simplicity is the ultimate luxury.”

Their philosophy centers elevated minimalism that prioritizes upcycled materials and utilizes hidden Japanese joinery for simple, timeless pieces that are easy to assemble and will last a lifetime. Sustainability is a central consideration across their collections.

โ€œMost of our collection is GREENGUARD Gold certified, and we prioritize premium, natural, recycled, and lower-impact materials throughout our designs. Our core wood products, for example, are crafted from rubber trees that have reached the end of their latex-producing lives,โ€ shared Alec Banks, Head of Brand at Thuma, whom I connected with while conducting this review.

Additionally, Thumaโ€™s fabrics, felts, rugs, and leather incorporate natural, recycled, and performance fibers. The brandโ€™s packaging is made without styrofoam and uses responsibly sourced cardboard containing 90% recycled fiber โ€” and nearly all of it can be recycled.

“The brandโ€™s packaging is made without styrofoam and uses responsibly sourced cardboard containing 90% recycled fiber.”

Alec shared another meaningful detail regarding their reforestation efforts, noting, โ€œWeโ€™ve also made reforestation a meaningful part of our sustainability efforts through our longstanding partnership with One Tree Planted, which weโ€™ve supported since Thumaโ€™s inception. Together with our customers, weโ€™ve helped fund the planting of more than 550,000 trees around the world, including a particular focus on Vietnam, where many of our factories, craftspeople, and wood sources are located.โ€

The brand has flagship stores in New York, LA, and San Francisco, where Thuma is based.

Delivery, packaging, and set up

A person lifts a large Thuma-branded box toward a truck parked by the curb in a suburban neighborhood. Two other similar boxes are already on the truckโ€™s open platform.
Four large Thuma-branded cardboard boxes are stacked in a living room with a white brick wall and hardwood floors.
Two of four sectional boxes (left) and four of eight credenza boxes (right)

Our sofa and credenza arrived via an independent third-party delivery service in twelve large cardboard boxes and minimal plastic, just enough to protect the pieces from any damage in transit. As noted above, the brand intentionally does not use styrofoam in their packaging, which takes up to 500 years to break down and, even then, it becomes billions of tiny microplastics which live forever in our soil and ecosystems.

“Our sofa and credenza arrived via an independent third-party delivery service in twelve large cardboard boxes and minimal plastic.”

The amount of cardboard we received bears reiterating. Because each drawer and sectional piece comes fully put together for easy assembly, weโ€™d acquired twelve large cardboard boxes that also contained smaller pieces of cardboard.

The boxes provided much entertainment and, after the fun died down (as in the fun for me โ€” I got tired of maneuvering between boxes in our relatively small home!), they moved to the backyard for their turn to be broken down and put into the recycling bin. With our one recycling receptacle and one borrowed from our neighbor, it took us five weeks to break down and rid ourselves of all of the boxes.

Person gives a thumbs up in foreground; large cardboard boxes and wrapped furniture fill a living room with hardwood floors and white brick walls.
A wooden stacking unit, screws, and cardboard packaging are arranged inside an open shipping box with plastic cushioning on the sides.
A living room filled with cardboard boxes that are filled with more cardboard!

After unboxing, though? Assembly takes minutes. Literally! We did not do any prep work, and even with moving our old furniture and then assembling the new โ€” all while two small children vied for our attention โ€” the process only took us approximately 30 minutes. If youโ€™re doing this sans kids, it will, of course, take less.

“Assembly takes minutes. Literally!”

We did not opt for White Glove Delivery, but the packaging removal certainly would have been a reason to do so. If you prefer to add this service to your order for whatever reason โ€“ accessibility, simplicity, or convenience โ€“ it is available for a flat rate of $295. Additionally, both pieces are available for a 30-day free trial and covered by Thumaโ€™s Limited Warranty.

A large cardboard box labeled โ€œTHUMAโ€ stands upright in the middle of a wooden floor, in front of a window in a sparsely furnished room.
A living room with a gray couch, TV on a stand, wooden floor, and a large cardboard box in the foreground.
A card reading โ€œLetโ€™s get togetherโ€ and a small black object labeled โ€œTTUNAโ€ are placed inside a brown box on a brown fabric couch.
Our Signature L Sectional mid-assembly

Thumaโ€™s Signature L Sectional in Mocha | $5,430

What drew me to this couch is how family-friendly it is. What I love most is the option to add on and reconfigure based on our familyโ€™s ever-evolving needs. I love to rearrange a room; our kids are getting bigger by the minute, and I anticipate we will need even more space as they grow and begin to invite friends over. Being able to seamlessly add a piece for additional space is exactly what we need.

“What I love most is the option to add on and reconfigure based on our familyโ€™s ever-evolving needs.”

During this 90-day review period, my five and two-turning-three-year-old were home for the summer. This couch has seen daily snack plates, many a blanket fort, and even potty training, so itโ€™s safe to say we have experience with spot cleaning, washing, and replacing the couch covers. 

Between yogurt spills, cheese-puff dust, and jumping on the couch with shoes on, I only ever needed to spot clean any messes. Accidents while we were in the process of ditching diapers were the only time we needed to fully remove the covers for washing, which speaks to the durability of the fabric.

Speaking of durable fabric โ€” I love and often prefer a piece that is made with natural materials, but most of those pieces are precious and need to be treated as such. I am not in a season of life where I can purchase a sofa made with 100% linen cover โ€” beautiful, natural, but fussy. I am also not in a season where I can buy a leather sofa โ€” much more durable, but also far more costly. 

A gray sectional sofa sits in a living room with a wooden coffee table, a rug, and large windows looking out to a green backyard.
A brown couch with a laptop and an open notebook on one seat, next to a rug and wooden floor, with a bookcase in the background.
Whether reading, watching, or working, we all gravitate to what has been lovingly named The Cozy Corner.

Thumaโ€™s Signature Sectionalโ€™s OEKO-TEX certified performance texture weave is made of 84% polyester and 16% acrylic. Inside youโ€™ll find CertiPUR-USยฎ certified foam, which is made without formaldehyde, heavy metals, ozone depleters, or regulated phthalates, and features low VOC emissions for better indoor air quality.

I have tried to make perfect consumer choices and have learned that there is no such thing. This has only left me burned out and swinging all the way to the other end of the pendulum. My polyester couch that has sufficient safety certifications is a fantastic solution to a very complex consumer choice, and I am very happy with it.

Nest Credenza | 4×2 | $2,670 

Thumaโ€™s Nest Credenza was the initial piece that put the brand on our radar โ€” my husband had seen an ad online and fell in love with it years ago. 

Set up is a breeze, particularly because weโ€™d done it before with our Nest Dresser. Each drawer or shelf arrives fully assembled and clearly labeled โ€” the only building required is stacking them on top of each other, and then twisting in the provided screw. 

“The only building required is stacking them on top of each other, and then twisting in the provided screw.”

The piece is made of 100% upcycled solid wood and is GREENGUARD Gold certified, which means it meets the gold standard for emitting extremely low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for cleaner indoor air. This third-party certification is a green flag for anyone with small children or pets, and complies with the California (where I live!) Department of Public Healthโ€™s standard for indoor air quality.

All of our board games now have a proper home, and Iโ€™m enjoying thrifting coffee table books for display on the shelves. Most noteworthy is my complete collection of New Yorker cartoons!

Flat-screen TV on a wooden stand with shelves holding books, folded blankets, and a mug. There is a window reflection on the TV and a patterned rug on the floor.
A wooden TV stand with a drawer open showing board games and puzzles. Next to it is a bookshelf with childrenโ€™s books. A patterned rug covers part of the hardwood floor.
The Nest Credenza came pre-assembled and provides the perfect home for our TV and board games.

Final thoughts

Despite our extensive cardboard box adventure, Thuma is still my favorite brand for quality and simplicity. I like to think of their pieces like Legos for adults โ€” snap them together and, when youโ€™re ready, rearrange or add pieces based on your familyโ€™s needs.

“Thuma is still my favorite brand for quality and simplicity.”

The Nest Credenza is made of the same pieces as our Nest Dresser, so we could literally interchange the pieces if we wanted to, say, add two of our drawers from our bedroom to our living room. 

And the sofa? Itโ€™s everyoneโ€™s favorite spot to land at the end of the day.

Kate Arceo is a writer based in Southern California and the Community Manager at The Good Trade. She has a Bachelorโ€™s degree in Communication Studies and has been reviewing sustainable home and lifestyle brands, as well as organic kidsโ€™ apparel and nontoxic cosmetics for the last ten years. In her free time you can find her hosting dinners on the back patio, reading a novel on the sofa, or sipping a latte at the local cafรฉ. Say hello on Substack and Instagram!