Really nice padding, was not hard to assemble. The instrucitons are not super easy to follow so be sure to set all parts out on a box or counter where you can count them beforehand, if you lose one of the dowels you will have problems later. I've had the bed a month now and no bedbugs, no weird smell, it looks fantastic. There is NO clearance under it, it's all but flush to the floor. Be aware that there is a very big gap between a standard king mattress/bedspring length and the headboard (about 4-6") so you may have to either shove the mattress flush with the headboard or be prepared to have your pillows disappear/sink between the space while you sleep. Other than that it's a great bed for the money and it looks more expensive than it is. The items are all in the headboard and I would recommend unpacking the box IN the room you assemble it in.