The desk is exactly as pictured, very sturdy. Clean lines with nice storage. i did have some trouble assembling though. The two shelf brackets were a little bowed. I had to get my husband to gently do some reefing on them to get them into place without snapping the welds. I wouldn't have been able to assemble by myself. Outside of that, we are day 2 and it still has a pretty strong odour (either paint or stain), but its nothing that a little time won't resolve. The top has alot of grain, I love the look, but if you were intending to actually write on it, you won't be able to. Too much texture.