Thanks to other great reviews for this side table I decided to order one myself and I am definitely impressed.  
It's exactly like the photo but what you can't tell is the quality; it's really well made, sturdy and looks expensive.
I did try and put it together myself but the instructions were scarily detailed so I quickly passed it to a DIY expert who took about half and hour to assemble it.  I would definitely consider the matching coffee table now for a later purchase.