It’s a solid piece of furniture. It takes about 1-2 hours to assemble. Instructions are fairly clear. The paint looks like it’s needs a second coat, but the wood grain underneath the paint is nice. This is specifically designed as a corner piece and trying to make it one long piece will leave the center connection too much of a carpentry job to convert without modifying pieces to a stage where they are unusable as a corner piece if you change your mind. 
Plenty of storage inside. We were even able to fit small ottomans inside with the cover closed.