Definitely an intermediate level assembly. Like others have said, be very careful, the "wood" is weak. The pre-drilled holes for the handles were too small on both the nightstands we received. You will be happier if you have a cordless drill to fix that as I see from other reviewers this isn't the first time. The back is just a dense piece of cardboard, we didn't bother attaching it since the stands are going against a wall. That being said they are very attractive and look great in our bedroom. Definitely dark grey/black. You might also need a dark sharpie for spots of unfinished particle board which are visible, not too bad but there were a few. Overall we are quite happy with them.