This kitchen island is fantastic and, in my opinion, definitely worth the price! We live in a 1 bedroom apartment in NYC and use the island to help separate the eat-in kitchen into cooking area and eating area. It's been a great addition to our kitchen and we love the extra storage and prep space. The quality of the wood seems strong so far and the piece visually looks much more expensive than the actual price. It's easy to put together - 1 person can probably do it within 30-40 minutes (no where near as complicated as some IKEA furniture). I highly recommend it!