I really wanted to love this bed without reservation. It is so beautiful. The distressed grey color is beachy and happy. I put a sandy jute rug underneath. The headboard is solid, but the frame isn't sturdy, and the footboard is bowing. When I fastened the support slats to the rail mounts, they split and cracked. The weight cap is over 600 pounds, and that's more than enough, so we'll see how it holds up with the split rails. As for assembly, the instructions recommend two people, but I assembled it myself. It was fairly straightforward and took me about 3  1/2 hours.