The directions were clearly created by someone who had never assembled this cabinet. I cried during construction and I am someone who has put together so many things - I've even made my own wood projects. This is to say that I learned that you need a lot of space to put this together, and there are a few spots where I wish there were more cam screws instead of dowels. 
Regardless, I chose not to add the metal base and will be purchasing my own legs. I did this because of my own design and space needs. The metal base is a separate piece.
Once assembled, it meets my needs It's pretty and what I was going for in my bedroom. I will also probably change out the knobs at some point.