I found the bed to be pretty easy to put together by myself, however, I also refrained from using the wooden slats and decided to use my bed frame instead. Yes, there's a gap, but it's nothing that your comforter can't cover. Yes, you can see the box spring when the bed isn't made, but I prefer my bed to be higher and I'd be more bothered by guests seeing an unmade bed as opposed to an exposed boxspring. I included the last picture to depict how high up a standard pillow will be if you sit it straight up against the headboard. Overall, I like the bed and am very happy with my purchase. As others have mentioned, the beige has flecks of grey/light brown in it, but I think that's actually ideal as opposed to a solid color; It'll help to camouflage any marks that may end up on it.