The desk looks sturdy and very firm. The color is somewhat off from pictures. The biggest disappointment is that the assembly is terrible! My husband had to re drill holes to fit the railing of the drawers, the quality of wood details on the drawers is poorly done.. see pics. Even after RE drilling , post assembly, the middle drawer doesn’t open. It was a very pricy desk.. I should’ve known better . It was too much to disassemble and return as it is Very heavy .. so we kept it . Too much hassle, poor assembly instructions and poor construction. The wood is real and design is sturdy .