As others mentioned, the assembly instructions are NOT clear and it took me 5-6 hours to assemble. The very first step tells you to remove the male bracket from the female bracket but it doesn't show how you are supposed to do that. I eventually figured out that there's a small plastic "switch" in the bracket piece that you push to release the male part (see attached photos) and then it slides out easily. Once I got past that step, the rest of the assembly was more straightforward. The TV stand looks beautiful and feels sturdy once assembled. The cabinet handles are more bronze than gold but still look nice. Overall I am very happy with how it turned out but wish the instructions were better!