I wanted a bench for my bedroom that opened from the front. What was there were three square baskets which functioned as a catch all for laundry baskets and jackets. They were not only unaccessible because those things had to be removed in order to open them, but I also decided to use them for toy storage in my living room. But this lift up lid issue meant I could replace these baskets with a standard upholstered bench, I had to go with wood. I have Amish made bedroom furniture, so I was convinced that I was not going to be happy with anything unless I had it made to match. And then I ran across this. It was the exact style of my shaker bedroom, the same color amazingly, and I am overwhelmed by the quality. It looks like I had it made.
Its not easy to assemble. I did it alone and it took a couple of hours. I could have certainly used an extra set of hands at times. The worst part is installing the hinges. The pre-drilled holes are tiny and difficult to see. They are also so small and tight, that they hardly function as predrilled holes. If I had it to do over, I would drill them out a little more before assembling. I would also recommend adding the cabinet hardware or the latch BEFORE hanging the door. When I hung the first door, it recessed into the space and I had a very difficult time pulling it out to open it. I added the knobs first to all of the other doors, which made things easier. I would consider adding the latch to the bottom piece prior to assembly if I were to do another one because that would eliminate that problem and also make it those much easier to install. The only other thing is my kit was missing shelf brackets, I only had one that was included in the extra hardware kit, which was very generous BTW and I needed after stripping a screw. This was not a big deal because I always save extra pieces, and I have plenty of shelf brackets. The directions suggest using a screwdriver, but I would not consider attempting this without a drill.
Overall, this piece was more than worth the trouble and the price.
Nice
I wanted a bench for my bedroom that opened from the front. What was there were three square baskets which functioned as a catch all for laundry baskets and jackets. They were not only unaccessible because those things had to be removed in order to open them, but I also decided to use them for toy storage in my living room. But this lift up lid issue meant I could replace these baskets with a standard upholstered bench, I had to go with wood. I have Amish made bedroom furniture, so I was convinced that I was not going to be happy with anything unless I had it made to match. And then I ran across this. It was the exact style of my shaker bedroom, the same color amazingly, and I am overwhelmed by the quality. It looks like I had it made. Its not easy to assemble. I did it alone and it took a couple of hours. I could have certainly used an extra set of hands at times. The worst part is installing the hinges. The pre-drilled holes are tiny and difficult to see. They are also so small and tight, that they hardly function as predrilled holes. If I had it to do over, I would drill them out a little more before assembling. I would also recommend adding the cabinet hardware or the latch BEFORE hanging the door. When I hung the first door, it recessed into the space and I had a very difficult time pulling it out to open it. I added the knobs first to all of the other doors, which made things easier. I would consider adding the latch to the bottom piece prior to assembly if I were to do another one because that would eliminate that problem and also make it those much easier to install. The only other thing is my kit was missing shelf brackets, I only had one that was included in the extra hardware kit, which was very generous BTW and I needed after stripping a screw. This was not a big deal because I always save extra pieces, and I have plenty of shelf brackets. The directions suggest using a screwdriver, but I would not consider attempting this without a drill. Overall, this piece was more than worth the trouble and the price.