The colors are very nice; the bottom strip is more black than brown on mine, which is fine with me. I easily cut the tassels off (tassels are cat magnets!). I will use it for a foot rest, but it wouldn't be sturdy enough for much sitting. The fabric is a bit scratchy. The "regular" price of $459 is absurd. Even the sale price of $188 is more than it's worth -- it looks like a $100 item. That said, I'm happy with it and it serves the purpose.