Summary: Thuma makes beautiful, heirloom-quality bedroom furniture from sustainably sourced solid wood, built to last a lifetime. After living with the Nest Dresser and Nest Nightstands in our newly renovated bedroom, I can confidently say this is our forever bedroom set, and the slow-close drawers alone were worth every penny if you can swing the spend.

Pros

  • The timeless, minimalist design looks elevated and seamless in any bedroom, and the two-column dresser reads as one cohesive statement piece despite not being fastened together.
  • Assembly is simple: the nightstands arrive fully assembled, and the modular dresser stacks together with just a hand screw — no tools required.
  • Sustainably sourced from upcycled rubberwood and GREENGUARD Gold certified, with zero discernible off-gassing odor right out of the box.
  • The slow-close drawers are a genuine game-changer, especially for parents and light sleepers.
  • The modular, stackable system means pieces can grow with your family — add drawers later, or rearrange the layout as your needs change.

Cons

  • The price point is a significant investment; the 4×2 dresser alone runs $3,160.
  • Individual drawers are on the smaller side. Those with larger wardrobes will want to size up to the 4×2 configuration or plan to purchase additional drawers.
  • The packaging is substantial — ten large boxes for the dresser set — so have a recycling or cardboard removal plan ready before delivery day.

The last decade of my life has held several major and vastly different life stages. At twenty-two, I was a new college graduate — single, unemployed, and unsure of where I would land. Shortly thereafter, I moved to California with just two suitcases full of my belongings. I rented a room at a relative’s house until I was a newlywed who had scored a quaint craftsman rental with my new husband. Now, in my early thirties, I am a young mother two times over, working full-time and putting down roots in a city I love.

“Many of our collected hand-me-downs, marketplace and thrift store finds were either not useful to us anymore or in poor shape.”

Last fall, we moved our family of four a few streets over in order to have a bit more space (our family had doubled in size since moving into that first home, after all). As is typical of the moving process, we naturally had to take stock of each item we’d acquired since getting married seven years prior and examine our inventory. Among them were some inherited, heirloom pieces, but mostly we were sorting through mismatched and poorly-made secondhand furniture from our past, childless life. Many of our collected hand-me-downs, marketplace, and thrift store finds were either not useful to us anymore or in poor shape.

Relocating made me realize just how much we’d put our own bedroom on the back burner. Until now, our kids’ room had taken priority. When we were settled in our new home, my first order of business was to source a set of drawers and two nightstands for our bedroom. Now that we have more square footage, more income, and the kids’ needs were squared away, it was time to make our bedroom a haven as well.

About Thuma

Being squarely in the stage of life where we must consider function, longevity, and durability when bringing items into our home, I had my eye on Thuma’s solid wood modular furniture for weeks, and to my surprise, the brand had been on my husband’s radar (and wish list!) for months.

Founded in 2018, Thuma is a modern furniture brand that blends timeless minimalism with expert craftsmanship. What truly sets them apart is their commitment to intentional design, drawing inspiration from modern architecture, Japanese craftsmanship, fashion, and interior design, with every detail purposeful and every material selection mindful. Central to their philosophy is traditional Japanese joinery, a technique that uses wooden pieces cut at precise angles to interlock like a puzzle — no tools required. 

“Central to their philosophy is traditional Japanese joinery, a technique that uses wooden pieces cut at precise angles to interlock like a puzzle — no tools required.”

Each piece is constructed with sustainably sourced hardwood from upcycled rubberwood trees that have reached the end of their 30 year latex-producing lifecycle. Additionally, their materials are GREENGUARD Gold certified, meaning they’ve undergone rigorous third-party testing against toxic chemicals, VOCs, and formaldehydes. 

In short, Thuma creates furniture that feels like an investment in your home, your health, and the planet, which perfectly sums up my curatorial pursuits.

Delivery and packaging

One Saturday morning we heard a knock at the front door. “Mommy, someone is here!” my daughter exclaimed. I opened the door to see a parade of boxes — one for each piece of our new dresser and nightstand set, ten boxes in total, and each one bigger than my four-year-old. I waved to the FedEx delivery people as they drove their fleet of trucks away from our home.

“I opened the door to see a parade of boxes — one for each piece of our new dresser and nightstand set, ten boxes in total, and each one bigger than my four-year-old.”

When delivered, the boxes are heavy and cumbersome, but that’s because each piece inside is already fully assembled. I recommend having a plan for all of the boxes or scheduling a curbside pickup from your recycling service. We failed to plan ahead, and we spent weeks phasing them out of our garage, but ultimately, the bulky packaging is well worth the tradeoff for easy assembly, in my opinion. 

Several large cardboard boxes labeled "THUMA" are lined up along a walkway leading to the entrance of a house on a cloudy day.
Two children stand near several large Thuma boxes on a front porch, with two FedEx trucks parked on the residential street in the background.

Modular Nest Dresser in Walnut | 4×2 | $3,160

Each drawer of the Nest dresser comes in its own box and is all the same, save for the base unit, which is clearly labeled. To assemble, simply place the base unit on the floor, stack each subsequent drawer on top of the others, and lock into place with the provided hand screw. To finish, place the countertop on top. 

“This is one of the reasons I love Thuma — their pieces can grow with our family without much hassle.”

Each column stands alone and the two are not fastened together. At first, I wondered if the fact that they aren’t fastened in any way would be obvious and look strange, but I’ve never once thought about it. Instead, this allows further versatility for us to separate the two with ease for a different arrangement in the future. This is one of the reasons I love Thuma — their pieces can grow with our family without much hassle. As long as the two sets of drawers are pushed together to touch, it looks like one beautiful, seamless statement piece.

Several pieces of wooden furniture wrapped in protective plastic are placed along a bedroom wall, next to a window and a nightstand with a lamp.
A wooden table is flipped upside down on a hardwood floor, showing packaging materials and a box labeled "BASE UNIT" inside the frame.
Assembly for the dresser couldn’t be simpler — simply stack each piece and lock in place with the supplied hand screw.

As we lived with our new dresser in the following weeks, I noticed the drawers are smaller than the ones I’d had previously, and I was glad we went with four sets of drawers instead of three. If you’re someone who has a small, capsule wardrobe, three sets may work just fine. If you’re on the fence, I recommend the 4×2.

Inversely, you can always easily purchase more drawers should you need them because of the convenient stackable, modular system.

A wooden dresser with six drawers stands against a white wall, topped with a potted plant, framed art, books, a camera, and decorative objects.
A wooden dresser with a potted plant, framed art, small camera, books, and decorative items arranged on top against a white wall.
The modular design means that you can start with a few drawers and then add more if you find you need them.

Nest Nightstand in Walnut, | Set of 2 | $990

Surprisingly, assembly was even easier with the Nest nightstand because it comes carefully packaged for transport, fully assembled. Because they are solid wood, it’s heavy to lift out of the packaging, but that’s the extent of the labor. After removing from the box, position it in your home, remove the cardboard inserts, and go on living your one wild and precious life!

“Assembly was even easier with the Nest nightstand because it comes carefully packaged for transport, fully assembled.”

For both the dresser and nightstands, Thuma’s timeless design, durable materials, and effortless assembly hits every mark for style, function, and longevity. Each piece looks elevated and classic, and the solid wood construction means they’ll wear well and are able to be refinished should we need to do so in a couple of decades. Additionally and as expected, there was no discernible odor from offgassing.

A wooden panel labeled "THUMA" is packaged inside a cardboard box with protective corrugated paper and covered in plastic wrapping.
A wooden nightstand with one drawer sits next to a bed in a sunlit room. The front panel displays an illustration and text. A window with a tree view is above the nightstand.
The nest nightstand comes fully assembled and carefully packaged for transport. Simply lift, position, and remove the cardboard inserts.

My favorite feature, though, is the slow-close drawers, which are pure luxury and a parent’s dream.

“My favorite feature, though, are the slow-close drawers.”

Sincerely, they have changed my life for the better, especially as a highly sensitive person. No more jump scares after a kiddo excitedly shuts my drawers after rummaging through them! No more accidentally waking a little one who inevitably crawled into bed with us in the middle of the night as I try to quietly grab my book and sneak out of bed in the morning! 

A neatly made bed with a striped duvet, a large pillow, a wooden headboard, and a nightstand holding a lamp, mug, books, and dried flowers, with framed photos on the wall above.
A wooden bedside table with a lit candle, a stack of books, a cup of coffee, a closed notebook, a lamp, and an open drawer; slippers and feet are visible at the bottom.
Beautiful, solid wood with slow-close drawers make these nightstands feel like a true luxury.

Final thoughts

Thuma’s intentionally made pieces are heirloom-quality and designed to last a lifetime, and the price tag reflects that. Consequently, anything from Thuma is a one-and-done purchase, and I have no doubt that this is our bedroom set for life. 

“Thuma’s intentionally made pieces are heirloom-quality and designed to last a lifetime, and the price tag reflects that.”

If investing in new, well-made furniture is not an option right now, it’s worth looking at secondhand platforms and searching by brand name, which makes it possible to source these pieces at a more accessible price point — while still supporting the company by creating demand for the product. 

Whether you’re ready to invest in new furniture or you’re looking for specific, secondhand pieces similar to these, prioritizing high-quality, solid wood furniture is a wonderful way to build a beautiful, unique, and non-toxic home while simultaneously lowering our footprint on the planet. 

Kate Arceo is the Community Manager at The Good Trade. She has a Bachelor of Science from Evangel University and has over 5 years of experience reviewing sustainable home and lifestyle brands, as well as organic kids’ apparel and nontoxic cosmetics. When she’s not hosting dinner parties with her husband at their home in Southern California, you can find her sipping a latte at their local coffee house or shopping for strawberries with her kids at the farmers market. Say hi on Instagram!