This desk was just was looking for to use in my home office.  I put it together myself and love how it turned out.  Assembly would have been easier with two people since I did have to use a stool to prop up a portion of the desk during one step of the assembly, but even then, it was easy enough to put together by myself.  The writing surface is a beautiful color and has a real wood look.  It is textured on top so writing on just one sheet of paper might be a bit bumpy, but since I'm using it in an office setting, I'm always writing on a note pad or on top of a few sheets of paper and have had no problems.  The desk is really sturdy and very well built.