I just received these stools today and I was expecting the cushion to be more "ivory" instead of the gray tone that is pictured based upon the reviews I had read. I was slightly disappointed because the base/wood is also lighter than I anticipated. It is more of a white washed light brown wood versus the darker gray appearance that it looks like in the picture. The kick plate is also pure black, not the silvery charcoal look that appears in the picture. Assembly was pretty simple with 20 screws and an allen wrench that is included. They are still pretty and seem very sturdy!