We have been using this as a kitchen island and it has really given us the added space and storage we need for our kitchen. It has held up well as extra counter/food prep space. I like how you can adjust the shelves on the side (we opted to not use the cross pieces and just have two shelving compartments on the side. It did come in a gazillion pieces and take a while to put together, but I was able to do it myself and it was well worth the effort.