Easy to assemble, but would suggest doing it with a second person to get it done quickly. The colour is a lot darker than pictured, inside it's a charcoal-almost-black tone, and only looks brown outside in direct sunlight. The inside is also lined with thin plastic supports which means it will be harder to clean out/dust when it needs that attention and will not support any youngsters climbing into it for a hide and seek spot. Nonetheless, my patio is tidy again as I can hide away all my clutter which is the ultimate goal of the box.