The nightstand is solid wood in all places except the drawer bottom, drawer back, and drawer sides ,which are MDF. Even the back panel is 1/8 plywood. The finish is exactly as described. (The finish does not have that warmth as if it would be finished with an oil based varnish or lacquer, but unless one is a furniture expert one really can't tell the difference. That old time warmth is not common with today's finishes. Furniture enthusiasts will understand this.) Assembly instructions were easy to understand and if followed to perfection will yield a result that works & looks perfect. I am a perfectionist to the 10th degree when doing these products. Meaning-every screw is tightened to the correct torque and placed perfectly straight, screwed in all the way & at the correct angles. With this criteria & someone somewhat experienced it should come out perfect. FYI>>>My older teenage daughter tried helping me-she could not fully tighten some of the screws & cam screws .I had to do it myself. Hints. I broke a camlock bec.I did not follow directions to only turn it 180 degrees...use a wide flat head or hex wrench as recommended for the camlocks. Also,as with all camlocks you must tap the camlock into the hole until it recesses slightly.Don't use a drill driver for the last drop of tightening any of the screws. Feel the torque w/your manual screwdriver ,so as not to overtighten or undertighten. Complaints - Since 80 percent is made of solid wood, I would recommend the manufacturer to make the drawer pieces also in solid wood. When installing the drawer rail slides on to the drawer , I had a problem with the MDF edge on the bottom of the drawer sides (hole close to drawer front) splitting very ,very slightly on all drawers (believe me-unavoidable, unless predrilling it ,which is too time consuming to do correctly) .[They are not predrilled from the factory on purpose -probably to allow slight adjustment of the rails in the event one was not perfect in assembling the drawer.]. Overall the piece is a good value and looks beautiful.It does not have the look, feel, and quality of high end furniture. but you aren't paying high end prices . Remember follow directions to the T in order to get perfect results. Enjoy!