Quality is reasonable, though a little lower than I expected
We ordered this bench directly from Cymax, and it came very quickly. There were some quality issues, however. The back panel was very slightly damaged on one corner, though not enough to make us decide to return the bench. In addition, one of the cuts for the shelf was not completed. If we hadnt had a jigsaw to complete the cut ourselves, we couldnt have assembled it and would have had to send it back. The stain/finish was not completely applied, so we had to use a stain pencil to color in two small unfinished streaks on one side. But if it werent for the problem requiring us to drag out the jigsaw, it would have been easy to assemble. Be aware that the finish is lighter than antique walnut, and more like chestnut.
All that being said, the bench itself is quite sturdy solid wood, and the baskets are larger than I envisioned and very well made. (The first time it was sat on, it creaked loudly, but its been silent ever since.) We needed a narrow bench at the bottom of our bed to provide a place to sit and its perfect for that. Be careful, though, not to put your feet too far back or youll knock the baskets into the back wall of the chest. We put felt dots on the basket bottoms and backs to prevent them from scratching the wood.
I made a simple cushion for the top, and it looks great. The shelf and baskets are large enough to hold slippers and some extra warm socks, though I think I might line them with some of the same fabric I used for the cushion and store some of my knitting in one or two of them.
Update: If youre putting this in your bedroom and want to make a cushion that matches your bedspread, a king-size pillow sham is just the right length (after tucking in a piece of foam cut to fit the bench top), but a little too wide. Sewers can cut the sham down to the right width, and non-sewers can just tuck the extra width under the cushion or let it hang down over the back.
Quality is reasonable, though a little lower than I expected
We ordered this bench directly from Cymax, and it came very quickly. There were some quality issues, however. The back panel was very slightly damaged on one corner, though not enough to make us decide to return the bench. In addition, one of the cuts for the shelf was not completed. If we hadnt had a jigsaw to complete the cut ourselves, we couldnt have assembled it and would have had to send it back. The stain/finish was not completely applied, so we had to use a stain pencil to color in two small unfinished streaks on one side. But if it werent for the problem requiring us to drag out the jigsaw, it would have been easy to assemble. Be aware that the finish is lighter than antique walnut, and more like chestnut. All that being said, the bench itself is quite sturdy solid wood, and the baskets are larger than I envisioned and very well made. (The first time it was sat on, it creaked loudly, but its been silent ever since.) We needed a narrow bench at the bottom of our bed to provide a place to sit and its perfect for that. Be careful, though, not to put your feet too far back or youll knock the baskets into the back wall of the chest. We put felt dots on the basket bottoms and backs to prevent them from scratching the wood. I made a simple cushion for the top, and it looks great. The shelf and baskets are large enough to hold slippers and some extra warm socks, though I think I might line them with some of the same fabric I used for the cushion and store some of my knitting in one or two of them. Update: If youre putting this in your bedroom and want to make a cushion that matches your bedspread, a king-size pillow sham is just the right length (after tucking in a piece of foam cut to fit the bench top), but a little too wide. Sewers can cut the sham down to the right width, and non-sewers can just tuck the extra width under the cushion or let it hang down over the back.