This is a fine table for occasional use. It is heavy and attractive. But if you have young kids or want to use it every day, keep looking for something stronger. The table top chips on the underside (wood top on mdf) at the slightest bump. The frames of the drawers are also mdf with wood fronts, so one of the sides broke in half just taking the drawer out of the box. It wasn't a huge deal to us--just bradded and glued it back together--but it might be for others who want a table for more than decoration. The "dark oak" color is a perfectly generic medium brown: much less red than walnut, nowhere near as dark as espresso.