We have had this bench for at least 6 months. We live in Arizona and this bench has withstood direct sunlight and temperatures of 115 with no problem. It looks great paired with the tiki torches in our backyard. We use it to store 2 blankets for our hammock, gardening gloves, 3 sets of large clippers for trimming bushes and a number of frisbees, sidewalk chalk, etc. As you can tell it has a great storage area and you would never know from looking at it. It came with a plain linen cushion; our only complaint comes from my husband and he thinks that it would be more comfortable if it had a cushion along the back as well. I am writing this review because it just withstood a monsoon storm last night without any trouble. Everything stayed dry that was inside. We also bought the ottoman that goes with it. I would recommend this bench.