We opted to use the gold handles and it is sturdy yet delicate (looking) for our little girl's room. It holds a decent amount of books and the shelves seem very stable (children board books are heavier than they seem when you store them together!). It comes with a wall mount for anchoring the item to the wall which is a huge plus and saves time of having to purchase one separately. It is also nice to have the cabinet beneath for hidden storage for the frequently used toys that don't really "blend in" with the room. Plus our daughter (2.5 yrs) thinks its fun to be able to help clean up and put toys away in the bottom cabinet. The cabinet doors are not slow closing so you still have to watch out for little fingers getting squished if the child is the one opening/closing them, but that is the case with any cabinet/drawer. We highly recommend this bookcase!