Shipping, packaging came as scheduled and intact. Once removed, assembling did not take long. The color is close to photo. No problem with smell of the wood/furniture. As a few reviewers mentioned, it's a good idea to get a foundation or support for the wood slats. Our mattress foundation, indicated by the black frame and gray cover in photo #1, fit inside the bed frame and over the wood slats. We got our mattress and foundation base from caspar, so we feel pretty secure about the mattress and headboard not breaking.