I had to take away one star as the picture misrepresents the true color. The bench lacks the contrast shown and is instead a solid dark brown. Having read the reviews, I knew that going in and still love the bench, but the picture should be changed (or better yet, the actual color of the bench, as I would have preferred it to look like the picture). It works great (and looks great) in the foyer for putting on shoes, but could also be used as a dining bench. There was a strong smell as mentioned in other reviews, but the worst of it dissipated within a day.

Pros: Beautiful style, versatile, no assembly required.
Cons: Actual bench much darker than pictured.