The stool arrived in easy to access packaging and required only to have the legs attached.  The material is not described to be leather and that was not our expectation but it's our opinion that the material tended to have more of a plastic appearance and feel than even faux leather.  With that said, the real issue is that there appears to be a design flaw with how the legs attach to the stool.  While a nine year old girl was sitting on the stool she leaned forward to stand up and the leg collapsed underneath her.  Upon inspecting the stool afterwards the leg pulled completely out of the particle board base and was not repairable. The stool was not subject to abnormal use and was used as footstool in a room of the house that is rarely used.  Given our experience - and now reading reviews of others with a similar experience - I could not recommend this stool.