Easy to assemble with all the needed parts enclosed. It looks a bit different than in the picture. At first, we thought there were discolorations, but when we examined it closer, we found dark striations throughout the wood. It almost looks as if it had been painted a dark blue and then painted over. You can't see any of that in the picture.  Overall, though, it looks good and is VERY sturdy. We actually took it out of the box to carry upstairs since it was so heavy.