The backs and bottoms on all the pieces are not finished and you can see all the staples holding a very thin black backing fabric, and when you move the headboard and footboard you can hear loose pieces of wood moving all inside them. The headboard is barely cushioned and pretty low, the color is definitely a brown grey, takes a while to put  together but it was pretty straight forward. Does seem sturdy but so far I've only had it for a couple of weeks. The colby bed is a better built than this!