It didn’t really work for my needs as shoe storage because you have to remove a shelf to store boots and so you lose a lot of space for other shoes. I also wish the doors opened out all the way to the sides. They only open straight out so using it to get shoes in and out regularly of in a small space isn’t ideal especially when you have kids. Assembly was fine albeit a tad time consuming. The color isn’t a deep black but more a very dark espresso brown. For what it is, it’s the most decorative piece I could find and at least I can use it to store other items if not shoes. The price could definitely be lower.