What a beautiful piece of furniture.  It truly makes a statement in our bedroom.  The bed is well made and you do not need a boxspring.  I was a little concerned about it being much lower to the floor than our old bed.  However, getting in and out of bed has not been a problem.  
We took the recommendation of a previous customer and used an electric screwdriver.  It is a must!!!  Also, pay close attention to the instructions because there are a couple of pieces you put together that were not labeled.  It took some time to figure that out.