Love these stools! Without the expensive price tag they look like many other stylish stools I found online. They are sturdy quality steel and solid wood top which is a plus. I love the adjustable feature. It allows tall and shorter people to sit at our counter hight island comfortably. They are not dark painted black but more of a metal black. The only downfall was spending a couple of hours assembling 3 stools with all the nuts and bolts. But very simple to do once you got the hang of it, just time consuming. Overall a great buy!