This bookcase was pretty simple to put together (~15 mins for a handyman watching TV simultaneously) and looks great. Excellent color - matches the picture very well. The wood has a nice, solid, "real" feel to it. And the unit itself is very sturdy when up against the wall. Things to note: At the top of the unit (where the two legs lean against the wall) you are supposed to attach two white nylon ribbons - the purpose is to attach one end to a leg, and then the other to the wall. This is a smart idea, but only necessary if you have small children who might pull/climb on the unit. When leaning against the all, particularly with the shelves full, the unit is solid and sturdy. The shelves get progressively "shallower" as you move up the unit - the shelf at the top is only about half as deep as the shelf at the bottom. Keep that in mind as you consider what will go on this. Putting books on the bottom (too deep) or top (too shallow) shelves won't look right - the bottom will have too much wood shown between the edge of the shelf and the books, and using the top shelf will result in books sticking out over the edge. So long as you have the ability to stock the shelves with a variety of items, I'm sure it will fit into your room just as well as it fits in mine...for reference, my shelves contain (starting at the bottom): 1. Wireless printer 2. Excess DVDs and travel keepsakes 3. Books 4. Books 5. Pictures

I bought these, because of the style I was looking for. When they came, they were a bit battered. Like they were tossed around. A bit of a furniture pen will fix the scratches, not enough to return them. However, one shelf, the lip was completely off, like it had been attached 3 inches off from where it was supposed to be. My father in law, actually took it apart, and wood glued it and set it with a clamp. A lot more work than I was looking for. Though the rest of the assembly was easy.Also, it says "Walnut" which would match the other pieces of furniture in my living room. These shelves look cherry next to the other pieces. They are a lot more red than the picture indicates.

I bought this piece to tidy up my room, and it served its purpose great collecting the few picture frames I have and the mail holder. The shelves increase in width as you go lower so the bottom shelf is actually pretty spacious. It took me a while to assemble it myself though, since I tried to do everything on my own (the manual says you need two people). Pros: nice looking, practical, light weight. Cons: it is divided into two main pieces that you put on top of each other, and the part where the two pieces connect is kind of obvious. Also, when you put it on the wall, the two arms can leave marks on your wall where the shelves lean. Overall a very good purchase, and I am happy with it.

pretty, but cheaply made. use for books and one shelf broke off and split the book already.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? color was great
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. one of the shelves broke with only books on it

I actually enjoy some assembly projects, but when I opened up the package and saw the small container of glue, my heart sank. The shelf is poorly designed, and the instructions are incomplete and confusing, so assembly was a nightmare. The materials are poor quality - the shelves themselves are soft plywood covered in some material to make them look like walnut, and the so-called "phillips screws" got stripped within 30 seconds of trying to screw them in. A lot of the dowels and screws did not fit correctly. About four hours later I finally got the shelf assembled, and it's shaky though I tightened all the screws. I am not sure what we can put on the shelf without it falling over. I really do not recommend purchasing this. We bought two and I'm considering returning the second one.

• How is the quality of the product? Poorly designed and unstable

This fits perfect in a small space, and while displaying "treasures" it remains open enough not to close off the space. Went together in a jiffy ! Says you need two people, but was able to do it myself

My Sister has the shelf and it was put together a bit tighter than mine. It was easy to assemble solo but there is a bit of strength needed. The shelves are not very sturdy so you can't put too much on each shelf. They tend to tip back. I do however, love the look of the shelf as it is very modern and good for the price. The color is nice and a bit deeper walnut. I do like it I just wish I had put it together tighter. I can imagine that people would think I paid more than what I did.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? Exact
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Small dents and not solid....
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? Exact

Love it, love it, love it. I moved into my first apartment a few months ago, and I've assembled tons of furniture. This was by far the easiest. There are actual WORDS as well as pictures, plus this was kind of common sense. To all those reviewers who said it wasn't sturdy...really? I have heavy books on each and every shelve except for one that is home to my printer. I've been using this product for a good stretch of time now, and it's held up quite well. I will admit to a flaw: no matter what you do, it will wobble from side to side. It's not nearly as weak as this makes it seem. You can see with there upper half meets the lower half, but this doesn't bother me at all. There is a little bit of a reddish tint to it that is just beautiful, though I do wish it were a little darker. I strongly recommend being generous with the wood glue. If you put enough in, the shelves will not shift. I also love that there is the an option to attach it to the wall, but unlike other products, it is not vital. It looks great, it does its job well, and I might even buy the accompanying desk at some point. Not to mention that with the already low price and coupon I used, this was a steal!

Product arrived with 4 of the 5 shelves damaged. I was able to hammer some of them into place, and the damage is not enough to send back, which would have been a hassle. The color is more cherry than I would have liked, but overall, it works for the space. If you're looking for something nicer, you will have to spend more money and purchase something different.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? Color in person is a lot more cherry than the dark espresso pictured
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. For the price, the quality is about as expected
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? Mostly accurate

This ladder shelf was the best price and the shipping can't be beat. I put it together without help. I don't have it anchored as I like to move it around. I would recommend putting some felt or bumper type guard behind the top sides where it rests against the wall because it could stick or scratch wall if accidently bumped.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? more than comparable
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Great quality
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? very accurate

I saw similar book shelves on other sites and decided to go with this one from Overstock, since it's a website I've shopped on many times, and I was not so familiar with the sites offering other brands in this style. I was very excited to receive the shelf and get it put together in my new place, but very disappointed to discover that that bottom shelf was split up the side and completely unusable. I contacted Overstock right away, and they were amazing and sent me JUST the shelf I needed instead of having to return the whole bulky thing. The new shelf arrived (packaged better by Overstock staff than the original pieces had been by the manufacturer) and I got it put together. There is a lip that runs along the sides and back of each shelf. One of these split and began to separate from the shelf while I was putting it together. This is not a piece that is touched by the screws at all, so apparently the split was just from handling. There is one portion on another of the "lip" pieces where the wood split, and the manufacturer glued it back together and just varnished over it. It's extremely unsightly, and pretty much indicative of the all around quality of the shelf. Another annoyance is the stickers the manufacturer used to label the parts. I have tried butter, canola oil, disinfecting wipes, magic erasers, and everything else I can think of to remove the residue, to no avail. These stickers are affixed in conspicuous spots, so now my shelf has little round sticky spots in very obvious areas. My last gripe is the stabilizing bottom foot. It's held on with one wood dowel, and one locking cam. The problem here is that the head of the peg that is meant to be locked with the cam is so small that you can pull the leg back off WHILE the cam is locked! I don't know if they packed the wrong piece or what, but this bottom leg is not sturdy at all, and I sincerely doubt that this shelf will ever hold any books. It's a good thing I bought it predominantly for holding decorative items. In short, buy a different ladder bookcase!

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? Much lighter than pictured (on both my screens)
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Very poor quality. Pieces arrived broken, others broke during assembly. Poor patch jobs in the wood, etc.
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? Accurate

I was looking for a leaning book shelf for quite some time. All the "value" priced ones I was finding in the big discount stores were not made of real wood and appeared to be flimsy and all much more expensive than this one. One reviewer had made the comment that it is more like cherry than walnut which is what I wanted so I took a chance. There is a bit of "red" in it so it was perfect for me. The only problem I had was that one of the shelves came in damaged. I emailed Overstock, told them the problem and without even blinking or questions asked they had the company send me a replacement shelf, within days!!! It also was very easy to put together, I did it by myself and it only took less than an hr.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? After reading one of the reviews that claimed it was a little more like cherry than walnut I decided to get it and that is true.
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Very good quality. Real wood as opposed to "partical board" that you get elsewhere.
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? Very accurate

Very nice, quality is good. I have a small living room, ordered two, does not take up too much space, perfect size. Very happy.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? Color I expected.
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Nice and sturdy.
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? Site description was right on target.

We have ton of book and textbooks and needs a place for them in our office/guestroom. Wanted something that would hold them all without looking to office/ library like. Shelf is strong and keeps a lighter look to the room. Much less expensive than even the cheap bookcases you can get at an office supply store and looks better. Will probably order another for the living room!

This is a pretty common item. Pottery Barn sells them for over $300! Even the discount prices are around $150. This is a good quality item for the price.

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

Love them. We debated and debated which shelves to buy, went with the Poundex 5-tier walnut Ladder Shelves and absolutely love them. The dark walnut color matches the room perfectly and it gives the room a unique look. Overstock delivered the product as expected, in a very timely manner.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? Exactly how we expected.
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. It helped to glue the shelves in place to reinforce them (it does not say to do this in the instructions), the quality is definitely there.
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? Very much so.

The shelf arrived in great condition... tons of styrofoam holding it all in place and no nicks or scratches! It seems to be very good quality and was fairly easy to put together. I currently have it loaded up with a potted plant on the top shelf and a stack of books on another shelf and it holds up great! It's perfect for my dining room!

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? Fairly close
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Very good quality
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? As accurate as I needed

Despite a review I just read - this shelf is NOT EASY TO PUT TOGETHER! Anyone who says it is, is lying. And it says right on the instructions you need at least TWO PEOPLE to assemble this. It took both my husband and I to put this together. He was cursing the entire way due to the poor quality of the parts (stripped before we even used them), and how at times we needed more than four hands to hold things together. However,once it was together, I was very happy with it. It looks great and complements our entryway. I agree with others - I don't think this shelf is meant to hold piles of books. It's more of a decorative piece, so if you're looking for a not so fun carpentry project, and if you're NOT looking for a bookshelf, but a nice, inexpensive piece to accent a wall to hold decorative products - this shelf will be great for you!

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? Good - a dark walnut color

Could not have found a better bookcase for a covered porch! This little jewel was a great find and a great buy! One warning is not to try to put this together by yourself, it is definitely a two person operation, one to hold the side bar and one to fasten the shelf and the other side bar. Was a little iffy about putting it together, and it took some time, but the product is worth the trouble.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? wood stain correct color as advertised
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. nice quality for the money
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? very good

This was a good item. I am very pleased with the purchase. It is a great item to add extra storage space in a modern decor aspect. Would definitely recommend for anyone wishing to add decor to a small den or open space.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? Perfect
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Good sturdy item for price
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? Very accurate