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Thuma is best known for its easy-to-assemble bedroom furniture, perhaps most notably the Thuma bed frame. But when the brand debuted a dresser last year, my mind immediately ran through all the possibilities that one piece of furniture could fix my bedroom storage woes.
Over the years, I've struggled to find a storage organization setup for my bedroom that works for me. Between not having enough storage or liking how something looked, I cycled through different systems until I got Thuma's The Dresser last March. The Dresser has a sleek, minimalist, and modular design that can be configured in many ways, and I made the most of every piece. In my current bedroom, I use The Dresser in the eight-piece 4x2 configuration. Instead of placing four drawers side by side, I've customized them to my needs as a nightstand and in my closet, stacked three units and five units high, respectively. But the best part is that even if my space or storage needs change, I can rearrange or add on to The Dresser to match it.
Thuma's The Dresser is a minimalist and modular dresser that you can easily assemble to your needs and space. Made from sleek and solid upcycled wood, it will last for years to come.
- Sleek and modular design
- Made from upcycled solid wood
- Easy to assemble
- Soft-close drawers
- Lifetime warranty
- Expensive
- A lot of packaging to recycle
Set up
Each pre-assembled drawer of the Thuma's The Dresser arrives individually packaged and weighs 51.8 pounds, with the top drawer pieces weighing as much as 65 pounds to accommodate the top tray and additional hardware. Since I got the 4x2 configuration, I was greeted at my door with eight large, heavy boxes. Pro tip: Try to get an extra pair of hands to help when bringing them inside, especially if you live in a walk-up apartment.
After hauling each box inside the house, I started the unboxing process, which took significantly longer than assembling the drawers themselves. Aside from a few plastic sleeves to cover the drawers and top trays, most of the packaging was cardboard. With a good amount of breaks, it took days to fully break down the boxes, even after buying an electric box cutter to speed up the process. I was able to store the cardboard in my garage after throwing what I could in the recycling bin for a few weeks but ended up making a trip to the local recycling center to finally get rid of the rest of the packaging.
After I removed the drawers from the boxes, the setup was pretty seamless. To put the drawers together, all you have to do is stack one on top of the other, secure them together with a large, hand-tightening screw in the back of the drawer, and repeat. Once configured to your liking, you add the top tray to the final drawer, and you're all set! I used three drawers as a nightstand and the remaining five in my closet. The Dresser also comes with legs that you can screw on, but I decided to opt out of using them and stashed them away in case I changed my mind in the future. Minus the box breakdown, the setup of the drawers took around 15 to 20 minutes to complete. However, I did not install the anti-tip kit that comes with The Dresser, so setup may take longer if you do so.
Our review of Thuma The Dresser
Design and Quality
Thuma's The Dresser is hands-down the nicest piece of furniture I own, down to the feel, design, and overall quality. I love the minimalist look that's versatile enough that if I wanted to change the color of my walls or play around with different pieces of decor, I know it'd still look amazing in the space.
There are also features in the design that look good and feel thoughtful and intentional. There's a slight curve on the top trays that matches the drawers, which are soft-close and super quiet. The drawers are also on the heavier side, but there are openings on the inside of each drawer to handle them more easily while stacking them during assembly.
As much as I love Ikea and Wayfair, the quality of The Dresser is unmatched. It feels extra sturdy and durable since it's made from solid wood, and I know it's a high-quality piece I plan on keeping for years.
Modular System
What excited me the most about The Dresser was that it's a modular system that you can rearrange, add, or remove drawers to as your needs or space changes. Essentially, it's furniture that's in it for the long haul. You can stack each drawer up to five drawers high, expand it with extra drawers, or combine it with The Cubby, Thuma's open-shelf storage system that starts at $500, making the storage options endless.
I've maximized The Dresser's modular design by configuring The Dresser into a three-drawer nightstand and five-drawer dresser in my closet, and I finally feel like I have enough storage in my bedroom. I love my current setup of The Dresser, but I also love that I can switch things up if I move to a larger space or use it in another part of my home. I already have ideas about potentially using at least one of the drawers as underbed storage. The drawers would likely fit under beds with 10 inches of clearance.
Storage Capacity
Each drawer is about 5 inches tall and 15 inches deep, making The Dresser on the smaller side compared to other dressers, but the drawers are spacious enough to fit my storage needs. I have more space in The Dresser than any nightstand I've ever had. It houses all my essentials and more, including extra toothpaste, my hair dryer, and protein shakes (yes, there's a little bit of everything because there's that much extra room).
The Dresser in my closet has made the most difference when organizing my clothes. It's truly been a journey trying to find a good closet storage system. Before getting The Dresser, I tried everything from wire cubes to hanging storage to make the most of my closet space. With The Dresser, I can keep my clothes in check and hang clothes to the sides of the drawers and even shorter pieces, like t-shirts or tank tops, above them.
I try to make the most of the drawers by folding lighter clothes. In one drawer, I can fit around 24 to 30 T-shirts. In another, I can fit 10 to 14 rolled shorts and about 14 pairs of leggings. Since I have many bulkier items, like sweatpants and sweatshirts, I stack them on a shelf with dividers rather than inside The Dresser. But if you plan on storing your sweatpants there, you can likely fit around six pairs of sweatpants (or more depending on how you fold them), with a few inches to spare for rolled or smaller pieces of clothing.
Sustainability
In addition to design, quality, and versatility, Thuma's commitment to sustainability can go all the way down to what The Dresser is made of. It's crafted by 100% repurposed solid wood that looks beautiful and feels durable. It's also GREENGUARD Gold Certified, meaning it's gone through thorough testing and is certified to have low chemical emissions.
Cons to consider
The two potential setbacks of The Dresser are the price and the packaging. It can cost anywhere between $790 and $3,495 depending on which configuration you choose. With the quality, design, and versatility, I think it's worth the investment, but realistically, it's not the most budget-friendly dresser.
Now, for the packaging. I appreciate the commitment to using more eco-friendly options. However, breaking down the cardboard took me days, and recycling took weeks. If you have limited space, keep the packaging aftermath in mind, as the bigger the configuration you get, the more cardboard you'll have to recycle.
The bottom line
If you like minimalist design and versatile storage, I highly recommend getting Thuma's The Dresser. After living with The Dresser for the last year, I confidently believe this modular design is built to last and is a special piece that upgrades everyday living. It's on the pricier side, but it's backed up by high-quality materials and a modular system that you can easily add to or rearrange as your needs and space change.
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