Although the box containing the pieces of this set was battered and torn with holes, nothing was damaged. The pieces were hard to put together because the holes for the screws were hard to line up. It took my husband ‘s strength to push the pieces together and me to try to get the screws started in the holes. The instructions could have been much better than they were and the pieces should have been labeled. We discovered that it was better not to screw everything in tight until all the screws were in. Once we got everything together, we loved the outcome. The pieces appear sturdy and the cushions well made although the seat cushions are pretty hard. Maybe they’ll soften up a bit over time. We purchased the lighter blue set with the gray wicker frame. The blue is much darker than the picture and the frame is also dark with shades of brown. Although not exactly what we expected, it’s a very handsome set. We look forward to using it in our gazebo.