South Beach Full-size Bed

This bed looks great once assembled, but I hit a number of snags during the assembly: 1. The bed ships in two boxes (one for the headboard/footboard and one for the rails/slats). Each box has its own hardware bag, but I discovered later that the bags weren't specific to the contents of each box, but rather all the hardware for the entire bed was divided between the bags, which meant I ended up using some of the (longer) bolts intended for the slats in the headboard and had to swap bolts later after the headboard was already assembled. 2. One of the headboard legs was bent just enough that the extension leg wouldn't slide in. I had to reshape it with locking pliers and then use a hammer to seat the extension leg the last couple of inches. This resulted in the plastic foot breaking off, so I need to look for a replacement. 3. One of the side rails had the holes drilled in the correct location, but the other had the holes drilled on the vertical rather than horizontal side (the rail will only mount in one direction, so it was definitely a manufacturing error on their part). I had to redrill an entire line of holes. 4. The instructions (which are partially done in a difficult-to-read cursive script) show the bolts securing the slats with washers on both sides in one picture and only on the bottom in another. There are only enough washers supplied for the bottom, but I had to undo a couple where I’d used them on both sides when I realized I was running out of washers. 5. One of the support posts for the slats had poorly machined threads that would not accept a bolt. I used a Dremel to grind out the offending part and it worked fine after that. Now that it’s completely assembled, it looks great, it seems solid and it compliments my room, but it took a few extra steps beyond the instruction manual to get there. The hardware bag supplies a small Allen wrench and a cheap mini-wrench, but I ended up needing locking pliers, a hammer, a drill with a bit large enough to accommodate the bolts and a Dremel, all of which I happened to have on hand, but not everyone considering this bed will have those tools.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? Accurate
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Good quality materials; poor manufacturing
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? Accurate

I ordered this bed frame to use in the guest room. My daughter and husband built it in 45 minutes. The frame is a beautiful matte deep chocolate. This bed is nice and low so it's great for young kids or older people who may have difficulty getting in/out of bed. I highly recommend this piece.

Recently moved to a small studio and decided to make the bed a focal point rather than try to disguise the fact I sleep "out in the open." This bed did not disappoint. It is striking visually and goes well with my clean-lined, modern furniture. (I could see it fitting in with more traditional decor as well.) Others have complained that the bed is noisy; I have not experienced that at all. The bed is very sturdy and does not move. I am giving 4 stars instead of 5 because the bed arrived damaged and would not have gone together if we hadn't done some heavy-duty prying (with plyers), which marred the finish. I did not want to return the bed though. The damage looks as though it resulted from the box being dropped or banged up in transit vs. a product quality issue. I was nervous about buying this bed because of the price - it was so low I feared the bed would look cheap. It doesn't. It makes a statement and is a terrific value.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? Yes

Rec'd the bed earlier than expected. Came in 2 boxes My husband is very handy, which was good since there were no directions. It took him about 1 1/2 hours to put together & he needed an extra set of hands to help because the bed was heavy (which is good). He really liked the middle foot rests - added greater support to the bed. It looks very modern. It sits low to the ground, so no storage space underneath. Will to buy a box spring.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? slightly darker
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. good
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? ok