SPY agents, trained to be discerning and skeptical, are tasked with identifying high value targets for shrewd shoppers. Products curated by The Informant are the best of the best: beautifully imagined and thoughtfully made products that become instantly indispensable.
As someone who has lived in New York for nearly a decade and who would like to continue to do so, I’ve come to terms with an unfortunate reality: Moving in the city is, without fail, the most specific slice of hell. Despite increasingly better planning with each move, I’ve lost pieces of my sanity and dignity, and sometimes both.
Another reality is that every few years, I’ll need to do it, and I’m always in the market for hacks and workarounds. So ahead of my last move, I decided to look for furniture that would make the situation more bearable for the long haul. I scoured brick-and-mortars and the Internet for pieces that could travel with me from place to place: ones that were durable enough to pivot around cramped staircases, easy to disassemble and reassemble, and versatile enough to suit different, sometimes idiosyncratic spaces.
Now, I can’t tell you when exactly the Thuma Bed entered the proverbial chat, but I will tell you how: Instagram. In the months leading up to my move, Meta’s algorithm read my mind (i.e. my search history) and served me an ad for a bed that looked so sleek and easy to assemble that I didn’t believe it was real.
It didn’t matter that thousands of online reviewers vouched for its quality. As an editor who’s worked in the product review space for years, I am naturally wary of 1) the veracity of consumer reviews 2) certain stylized direct-to-consumer retailers and 3) hyper-targeted advertising. But, after asking a few friends who had the bed, too, I decided to take a chance. (The brand’s 100-night return policy and lifetime warranty provided some extra assurance.)
Today, I’ve owned a Thuma bed for three years and I’m proud and semi-surprised to say I have not a single regret. One of the bed’s main selling points, and the thing that made me most skeptical — that it’s ultra-easy to assemble because it doesn’t require any tools — turned out to be 100% true. Its pieces fit together like a giant puzzle (credit the Japanese joinery-inspired design), and once built, it feels sturdy and durable.
I’ve also taken the bed apart and put it together twice — including once by myself — and each time, it’s taken less than 15 minutes. Its lines are minimal and clean. Its nine-inch under-bed space is perfect for extra storage (which, as someone who currently lives in a studio, I utilize to its fullest potential).
Overall, it is some of the best money I’ve spent during my time in New York. And the next time I move, I’ll rest a little easier knowing it’s coming with me.
