After reading all the reviews regarding the safety of this purchase for purchasers with small children, we were a bit apprehensive that this piece of furniture may "cramp" our style as we don't have children, well not the two legged kind. We are proud puppy parents and take great pleasure in not having to base our purchases around possible safety hazards for  little ones.  We are emphatically pleased with this purchase, it looks great, the storage space is fantastic (yes a puppy toy or two has found it's way in) we have received numerous compliments on it, and goes nicely with the New Hope Sectional we purchased. This is an excellent purchase for any home.