I bought two of these desks in walnut, which is a beautiful dark wood tone.  They are quality solid wood, and look great in the end.  They have a schoolhouse look to them.  It is a good size for my average sized 4 year old, and a little big but still usable for my 2 year old.  They both love their new desks.  Regarding assembly, holes are pre-drilled but it was still very hard to screw pieces together.  And on one of the chairs, four screws just fell out on their own in a few seconds causing the seat to pop off the frame (which came pre-assembled).  So we had to find four thicker screws and put that back together...I think it was just a lemon because the other chair was just fine.  In the end I do recommend this desk, but know that assembly isn't that quick/easy.