Functional, beautiful and super sturdy.  I actually purchased 2 of these. Reinforced the bottom so it could hold heavy items. OK - I just updated my review to one star. Both the benches I purchased - hinges ripped out of the wood. Since they were purchased to hold baby clothes - they are not useful to me any more. Beautiful to look at and sit on - just don't expect the hinges to last. Two benches with same problem.