The white is a true white (not ivory).  Assembly was easy.  One issue was that the holes in the top shelf were not drilled precisely for mounting on the frame.  Also, one of the three dowels (on which the top shelf is to be mounted) is sunken in further than the other two dowels.  The metal brackets that hold the lower shelves to the frame are gold-colored.  I would have preferred silver-colored hardware because it would have matched my decor better (silver lamps, silver drawer pulls, and so on).