Admittedly, I hired someone to assemble this for me, and it took him a couple hours. This included cutting a hole in the side to turn it into a kittie hideaway. The piece looks great (exactly as pictured) and is very sturdy. Everything works exactly as it should, and I've been using the cabinets everyday without issue. The fact that the cushion comes with it is a very nice touch. I saw this bench on other websites for a higher price, so save yourself the search time and buy it from Wayfair!