I received the table and the chairs in boxes that were in great shape. Two of the chairs were damaged, one broke in half essentially. It was easy for me to put it together. But probably most wouldn't understand the vague directions. The color is solid black. The chairs are a little on the narrow side. The paint on the edge of the table where you would rest your arms starting wearing off only down the bare wood a few days of use and progressively got worse after about ten days. This is the fifth dining set they will soon be replacing or total refund. The first four were different brands. But one of them was doing the same thing. The others were damaged beyond repair when I received them. All the other furniture I bought from Wayfair has be excellent! They seem to have very poor kitchen dining suppliers. Too bad because I like everything else I bought for my apartment.