You probably don't need a $1K bed frame, but Thuma's is ridiculously easy to assemble

It's an investment, but it sets up in less than 20 minutes and is super sturdy.
By Jae Thomas  on 
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Mattress with burnt orange sheets atop a wood platform bed frame with white pillow board
The Thuma bed frame looks good with any home aesthetic. Credit: Jae Thomas / Mashable
Thuma The Bed
The Bottom Line
The price might be offputting, but this is probably the sturdiest bed frame (and easiest one to assemble) we've ever tried.
Buying Options
Mashable Score 4.1
Wow Factor 4
User Friendliness 5
Performance 5
Bang for the Buck 2.5
The Good
  • Well-made materials
  • Ultra sturdy
  • Super speedy no-tools-required setup
  • Can be assembled by one person
  • Doesn't move or make noise once assembled
  • Decent amount of storage space underneath
  • Upscale, minimal design
  • Sustainable materials and production process
The Bad
  • Expensive
  • Headboard options cost extra
  • Pillowboard doesn't attach to bed frame

Whether you're a recent college grad with a starter apartment full of IKEA, or someone who just can't be bothered to shop for new furniture, you've probably slept on some pretty rickety bed frames.

I had exclusively slept on a $100 metal bed frame from my broke college student days for over six years until testing Thuma's TikTok-favorite platform bed frame, and it convinced me that you actually should invest in some pieces of furniture.

Thuma's "The Bed" is an elevated wood bed frame designed with quick, easy assembly in mind. Japanese joinery makes the frame wildly simple to put together (no tools required), and ensures a quiet, sturdy platform for your mattress — even during intense adult activities.

Every detail of the Thuma bed has been thought out, from the rounded corners to protect your shins to the super supportive bed slats that keep your mattress in place.

Assembling the Thuma bed frame

To be frank, I'm not good at following assembly directions. I'm the kind of person who takes one look at an instruction sheet, yells "wtf?" and convinces someone else to put together the furniture for me. The Bed is probably the fastest and easiest piece of furniture I've ever assembled — and I even did it wrong at first because I didn't fully read the instructions.

Unassembled Thuma bed frame laid out on a black and white rug
The Bed comes in nine pieces that are easy to line up. Credit: Jae Thomas / Mashable
Hand holding two large screws
There are only two screws required for assembly. Credit: Jae Thomas / Mashable

Including my not-reading-the-instructions hiccup, the bed assembly took me about 20 minutes from start to finish. If you read the instructions properly the first time, I can see it taking no more than 15 minutes to assemble. I'm not strong by any means, and each of the pieces was light enough that I didn't struggle to move them. All that was required to put the frame together was lining up each piece into its dedicated hole, and hand-tightening two thick screws. You won't need a box spring for this bed frame — the included wood slats offer all the support your mattress needs. Even without a ton of bolts, nails, and screws, the Japanese joinery construction makes the frame sturdier than traditional heavy wooden bed frames.

Wood bed frame corner joint. The top piece is not pushed all the way into the joint
The Japanese joinery construction makes assembly quick and easy. Credit: Jae Thomas / Mashable
Wood bed frame joint completely joined
Once the joints are secure, the bed frame is extremely sturdy. Credit: Jae Thomas / Mashable

I also received the PillowBoard with my review unit, and while I don't love that it's not attached to the bed frame, it's not a huge deal. The PillowBoard is held in place by the wall and the weight of your mattress, so it mostly stays in place, but will sometimes shift. Every now and then, it'll slip slightly off-center and needs to be pushed back into place.

Note that the PillowBoard and HeadBoard are both add-on products to The Bed. The PillowBoard will run you an extra $200 on top of the cost of the bed frame, while the HeadBoard will tack on an extra $600 to $900 depending on the bed frame size you choose. Even though it's solid wood, the price of the headboard is pretty extravagant, so we don't recommend it unless you have a ton of money to blow.

Is the Thuma bed wobbly?

Even though the Thuma bed is mostly held together just from wood fitting into joints, it's exceptionally sturdy. I'm talking about the kind of sturdy that your downstairs neighbors won't ever hear your bed frame creaking during certain late-night activities. Trust me, all your neighbors will thank you for this one.

Though I tested The Bed in a bedroom with carpet (which likely helped reduce any wobbling), the bottom of The Bed's legs also come complete with cork-padded bottoms for extra cushion, stability, and floor protection.

Thuma bed frame fully assembled with slats
The slats offer a ton of mattress stability. Credit: Jae Thomas / Mashable

Is the Thuma bed too low?

As someone who slept on a mattress on the floor for much of my young adult life, I really can't complain about the height of the Thuma bed frame. It boasts nine inches of under-bed clearance for storage, so thin under-bed storage boxes are ideal here. Some of my larger check-in suitcases don't fit underneath the bed, but I've had minimal problems storing other items underneath.

I find the height of the bed frame especially nice. If you have a thick mattress (think: anything with a pillow top) your bed will be at a good height. If you're rocking with something on the thinner side though, like a lower-cost memory foam mattress, you might find that the bed sits a little lower than you're used to.

Is the Thuma bed worth it?

The Thuma bed frame starts at $895 for a twin and goes up to $1,095 for a California King, with other bed sizes sitting in between. This isn't including the cost of a headboard, either, so it's a big investment. While you might be able to find a solid wood platform bed option for a few hundred bucks, Thuma's pricing is pretty on-par for solid wood bed frames from other major brands.

Corner of a Thuma bed frame with a mattress on top of it
Rounded corners mean less painful shin bumps. Credit: Jae Thomas / Mashable

The Thuma bed frame isn't a direct substitute for your old Target or IKEA bed frame that you paid $200 for straight out of college. Shelling out $1K+ on a bed frame is extravagant for a lot of people, and we get that. On the flip side, the Thuma bed frame is a purchase that'll likely last you the rest of your life.

The solid, dependable construction, easy assembly, and simple timeless design mean that it'll last through many (if not all) phases of your life. It's easy to take apart, move, and put back together for folks who move frequently, and because the color scheme is so simple, it'll go with any home aesthetic you choose (even if you switch it up regularly).

Thuma's eye on sustainability is also something to keep in mind. Low-cost, mass-produced "Fast Furniture" from large retailers like Wayfair, IKEA, and Target is starting to fill up landfills. Opting for a well-made bed frame made of real wood (instead of particle board and cheap veneers) ensures it'll last longer and keep more furniture out of the trash.

If you're switching from fast fashion to slow fashion, consider doing the same thing with your furniture.

Topics Reviews Home

How we tested

I slept on the Thuma Bed for multiple months, jumped on it, engaged in adult activities on it, and let my dogs play on it to test durability, movement, and sound.

Some things I considered during testing were:

  • Assembly: I timed the assembly from the time I opened the box to the time I slid the mattress onto the frame. The instructions were clear and had detailed drawings and diagrams. Even as someone who is terrible at following directions, I was able to set up the frame in about 20 minutes by myself.

  • Potential longevity: Considering the materials and price point, Thuma is no doubt an investment piece of furniture. I tested durability and stability over multiple months to determine if this is a piece of furniture that will last longer than a mass-produced counterpart.

  • Materials: Considering the higher price point, the quality of Thuma's materials is top of mind. I dug into the material makeup of each piece and the sustainability of The Bed. The frame itself is made of solid, repurposed wood and Thuma notes that each frame will have distinctive grains and knots that makes them unique. The slats are lined with felt made of recycled plastic. The PillowBoard is made up of CertiPUR-US certified foam and a "polyester pebbled linen-weave cover."

Mashable Image
Jae Thomas
Deputy Shopping Editor

Jae Thomas is a Colorado-based Deputy Shopping Editor for Mashable. They specialize in pet tech, smart fitness gear, finding the perfect gift, and sourcing the top deals on shopping holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Jae has worked at Mashable since 2020, where they've written countless deals roundups and product reviews. Before Jae came to Mashable, they received a B.A. in Journalism and English Literature from New York University and wrote food and lifestyle content for publications like Bon Appétit, Epicurious, The Daily Beast, Apartment Therapy, and Marie Claire.

When they're not testing products or writing about online shopping, you'll find Jae whipping up an elaborate meal, hiking, camping, or training their dogs, Miso and Dashi. Reach out to them on X at @jaetaurina or by email at [email protected].


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