As others have noted, the "walnut" color leans hard toward the red end, while not quite making it to "cherry", but I wanted that. There are also, as noted, a lot of finger-joints in the otherwise-solid wood shelves, but those types of joints are very strong and you don't see them once there's stuff on the shelves, plus it's more environmentally responsible and economical to not have to use big spans of clear wood. The finish/gloss isn't super even on the shelves, but it's easy to pick a better side and arrange the main shelves to see the best parts. Assembly was pretty straightforward, although the holes on the top shelf weren't as easy to align as on the other shelves, but getting all of those screws started and then incrementally tightening around and around got it done. The screw cover pegs just needed a little persuasion with a hammer to go into the holes (but use something in between to protect the peg finish). Once assembled, with the very long screws, the shelf is both relatively light and very sturdy - we have bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar loaded on one shelf and lots of cookbooks on two others, and it's been fine for the few weeks we've had the shelf. My biggest concerns were a strong wood finish smell right out of the box that dissipated quickly, and lots of vaguely-concerning small sparkly fibers that got everywhere when unboxing and assembling, but a damp-rag wipedown and vacuum of the area seemed to address those. This is an attractive addition to my kitchen that I expect to serve well for many years. And, bonus, the open back allows me to still access a light switch on the wall we wanted to put the shelf on.