These are exactly what I expected based on photos and reviews. The wood seat and back are solid but are not a solid black they are very, very dark but the grain is visible so it’s not a matte black look. They are sturdy, but because of no brace between the back legs, they tend to lose side-to-side stability, even after tightening the screws. They were fairly easy to put together I did two by myself in about an hour and found everything lined up well if you left a little play before tightening everything down a final time. I love the look and they will work well for me as seating at my kitchen island, though would not pay the “full retail price” because of the stability issue.