We absolutely love this bed and the quality for this price is outstanding! You do not need a box spring as it comes with a slat system, that my husband did think was sturdy but a little aggravating. I have posted a pic using a 10 in pillowtop mattress and you can see you have a lot of headboard still showing which is perfect for me. It is more of a charcoalblack color in my son’s (15 yr old) room on the backside of the house and today is cloudy and rainy. I have 3 teen boys and all of them love this bed. I’m still playing with colors to decide on bedding but the photos will give you an idea with white, grays, and navy how this color will look in person... update bed is holding up GREAT !