Cottage Collection Preston Hollow Kitchen Island

It's true that the white shelf slats are precariously stapled onto the underlying white wood grid. Forewarned by other reviewers, I handled the shelves very gingerly while unpacking them. Even so, had to use Goop on just one slat. In position, i.e. in use, the chintzy stapling is not a problem. Note that the upper and lower shelves are not interchangeable. The hardwood top and base have 4 dowel holes pre-drilled. Only 2 dowels are supplied, as indicated in the Parts List. So what, do they profit an extra 9 cents from each unit as a result? Seems also chintzy. The most challenging assembly problem was that the 4 metal tabs that screw into the underside of the hardwood top were not formed at anywhere near a sufficient angle to allow just rotating them into the linear grooves in the left and right sides of the cabinet. Just rotating them would have left them about an inch below the grooves. Those tabs are all that hold the top onto the cabinet, with the two dowels only aligning the top to the base (unless you were to glue them). The tabs are very difficult to bend. The solution I applied was to screw the 4 metal tabs firmly onto the underside of the inverted top, and then use the claw of a hammer to bend them up sufficiently to match the level of the grooves. This was done gingerly, in about 4 partial bends each, setting the top on the base each time to check progress, and then takling it off to bend the tabs further. While the angles are now not ideal, the top is quite snug, and the only time a potential problem could ensue woulf be if sharply lifting the whole unit by the top edges. But because of my outstanding artistry in the bending, even this is unlikely. Further, the particular drawing for that assembly step was almost useless, with the relative sizes and locations of those two interlocking parts rendered completely inaccurately, except for the 90-degree angle involved. The second most challenging problem was tapping some of the metal pins into a few slightly undersized holes (Other holes were fine --just snug enough). Even hammering the pins through a block of wood, the lower right rear cabinet wood splintered apart. Clear Household Goop (not the yellow "Plumbers Goop"), two clamps, overnight dry--and I won't tell any of the females around here if you don't. Beyond that, I will say that all the predrilled holes were in excellent alignment. Note that the handle on the right side adds length to the advertised dimension. In the tight corner next to my stove, I had to just leave it off. Trying to think of something else to do with the beautifully-finished handle offers hours of contemplative fun, particularly if you keep it near the toilet. The answer so far: Nothing. The height of the unit is at least an inch and a half lower that the standard stovetop next to it. No big deal, but I did subsequently acquire a 30-inch wide, 1 and 1/2 inch-thick heavy hardwood top to set atop the unit, to make it more nearly contiguous with the level of the stovetop. *** or so, thus made the whole purchase significantly more $$$. But I like the look--more of an actual butcher block, and two inches deeper than the top of the original piece. Looks great, and doesn't detract from ease of opening the drawer. You actually cannot see the original top, without bending way down. I left out the upper shelf, and set a white plastic "tall kitchen bag" trash receptacle on the lower shelf. When in use, the receptacle may be pulled out and set against the unit's door, snugged to the stove. It barely sticks out past the front of the stove, if at all. (My unit is to the right of the stove.) There is still room on the shelf for a couple of large cutting boards set on end. If you found this review useful, please send a large amount of money to Bob, P.O. Box ***, **** NY ****.

• Did the color match the color displayed onsite? Yes.Wood top rendered accurately, and bright 'Appliance White' matches stove and refrigerator.
• How is the quality of the product? Good but not great.
• Did the description onsite accurately describe the product? Yes.
• Would you recommend this to a friend? Yes

Very nice once put together. that's always a pain. some of the holes don't line up, so have your drill in hand. once done, it's lovely, and having the extra counter space makes life easier if you don't have a lot in your kitchen. nice to be able to roll the cart out of the way if you have to, and ample storage space for something this small. enjoy.

• Would you recommend this to a friend? Yes

My boyfriend and I ordered this kitchen cart to add a little more space to our small kitchen. We love it! We haven't fully decided what will go in it, but right now we use the top to store my KitchenAid mixer. And on the exposed shelves I have a teakettle on the top and several cookbooks on the bottom. It is a great size, plenty of storage space. I was hesitant to order the cart because of some of the reviews, but I am glad I did. I would recommend putting the cart together with someone, though. It could be a little tricky if you are the only one assembling it. With two sets of hands, it probably took us an hour. We did need to file down one of the blocks for the drawer, but otherwise we had no issues. I highly recommend this product to anyone who is looking for a small kitchen cart.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? Pretty close
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Sturdy and well made
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? Very accurate
• Would you recommend this to a friend? Yes

Will not purchase again from this company. Product went together easy enough but cheap plastic wheel broke immediately - still trying to find replacement.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? No problem.
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Fair quality. Looks very nice.
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? Accurate
• Would you recommend this to a friend? No