The bed came in two boxes and I hired a handyman to put it together.  The holes on the headboard do not align with those on the bottom piece of the headboard/bed frame.  Fortunately my handyman was able to drill holes through the metal and put in his own long screws to secure the two pieces.  The slats are a little sparse so if you sit by the corner of the bed without a box spring you will sink down, and if you jump in bed, as I was trying to catch my dog, the slats might pop out!  Overall if you stay center or sit/sleep along the sides of the bed, it should be ok.  We were on a tight budget for getting a bed so this works for us in the short term.

That being said, the headboard is of a pretty grey color, which goes well with the rest of our furniture for a retro look.