This is a terrible photo but: the bed looks exactly like it does in the photos and I have zero complaints so far! I initially had my box spring on under the mattress but you don't need it and I'm kind of short so it made the bed an unmanageable height. Working alone this took me about 2.5 hours to put together and then like another 1.5 hours for the drawers. It would be MUCH faster with two people, particularly for the drawers. The slats are wood and are held onto the frame with plastic clips. You get a couple of extra plastic pieces (two ends and one connector) presumably in case they break. I ended up using one because once the plastic pieces are pressed into the bedframe, if you make a mistake it's hard to get them back out. Mostly I appreciate that this bedframe is silent and feels sturdy (unlike my old one, which was metal and squeaked and wobbled). It is also too low for the cat to squeeze under.