The stain looks darker and more uniform in person (no light pine nor deep dark brown showing, mostly a medium/dark slightly cherry-ish brown with dark knots), and I actually like it better than the photo. Makes it look more refined and not like it was made from scrap pallets. Looks of good quality too, but not indestructible - you’ll definitely need to use coasters. It’s all assembled so just unfold the legs and pop in some support clips and you’re good to go!