Holy wow this is real wood! For what I  paid compared to prices I was going to pay at a furniture store, I fully anticipated this table to be an assembly box quality like you'd get from Ikea or Wal-mart. It's far better! You still have to assemble it yourself, but my husband was able to do it alone. He said the chairs were the hardest just because of the angle needed to attach the seat to the base. Total assembly time was close to 2 hours but he took his time because our toddler wanted to "help". This gorgeous table is ridiculously sturdy and solid. The color is a beautiful dark wood with very dark brown/black seat cushions.  I didn't have any pieces arrive with scratches or defects and it's certainly holding up to my 3 year old's abuses. I would certainly recommend this dining set.