The color is working perfectly in our nursery! It is definitely a soft white wash finish. I changed out the knobs for a more modern and expensive look. The pewter shell knobs were not doing anything for me. The assembly, from what I could tell by watching my husband, is very intensive. Total of about 3 hours. Instructions were not the most helpful so better hope you know what you're doing! It also advised to not use a power drill (?!) which we ignored and just used a lighter mode. Biggest disappointment were the dings on the top piece from shipment but the product was still exactly what I wanted.