I do think it’s pretty sturdy. We did take out the top shelf to allow backpacks to fit better on the top. I know it would be more sturdy if we had left those two shelves there but that’s not what I wanted from this purchase. It has no issues holding the weight of two backpacks from our two children with their jackets, shoes, hats, etc…
It was very easy to assemble. It comes with directions. Just follow the steps start to finish and you’ll be fine. I have put many together before in the past.
I do like its appearance. My goal was to go for that clean, white look and I feel like I achieve that. I have it in our mudroom so I wasn’t expecting anything extravagant or fancy. It does its job nicely for what I need it to do.