Homestyles Dolly Madison 54-Inch Black Kitchen Cart with Wood Top & Drop Leaf Breakfast Bar - Rolling Mobile Kitchen Island with Storage & Towel Rack - Perfect for Small Kitchens, Breakfast Nooks & Extra Counter Space

I was looking for a little more counter and storage space in my kitchen, and decided to give this kitchen cart a try - the drop leaf was an added bonus since I don't have a breakfast bar or anything in my kitchen. I'm happy with the outcome so far, especially for the price!PROS:- All the pieces in my box were in good condition (no scratches, nicks, etc), and were packaged well with lots of padding- Clearly labeled pieces and pretty well written instructions- The island itself seems pretty sturdy so far- Caster wheels (the front ones lock) let me keep it against a wall and just pull it out into the middle of my kitchen when I want toCONS:- This comes in one box and it's HEAVY. You WILL need a second person to lift it and bring it inside, otherwise be prepared to open the box and bring it in piece by piece.- The drawers were kind of a pain to assemble, compared to the rest of the island. Most of the rest of the pieces had locking switches that were pretty nice once I figured out how to deal with them (see below), but then I got to the drawers and had to line up and screw in 36 wood screws. At least they're quite sturdy!- The drawers don't slide in and out super smoothly - it definitely sounds like they're rubbing on something when I open and close them.OTHER TIPS:- They don't tell you this in the instruction booklet, but the mechanism they use to lock pieces together is SO MUCH EASIER to close if you stick the end of a screwdriver in it and use it like a lever instead of just trying to jam it closed with your thumb like I tried to do originally (ouch).- Highly recommend a power screwdriver for the drawers, unless you want to screw in 36 wood screws by hand. Just be careful not to overtighten.- Also recommend having a second person available at least to help you flip the thing over, because you start by assembling it upside-down and then need to turn it right-side up after the base and sides are assembled.- You can choose not to attach the shelf or towel holder on the sides - it'll leave a couple of premade holes in the sides, but I plan to fill them or find some other wood plug to stick in them to hide them. Without those side pieces, the island measures around 47" wide, which was perfect for the wall I put it on.My kitchen cart came and was exactly like described. I ordered the black one, which looks great with the light wood countertop; it is a nice contrast. I bought it to use as an island, replacing my current kitchen table, which is square. So, I am using the breakfast bar with two bar stools that I already own to have seating in the kitchen. The rectangular design fits much better than the square table, gives me extra counter space (it is the same height as my counter) and you can't beat having the extra storage space as well.I was a little worried about damage to the island since both ends of the box were torn, but it is very well packed with packing material protecting each end so their was no damage to the pieces inside. Box is oversized and very heavy, so you will need a second person to help bring it into the house.Instructions were very clear. Parts were very well labeled, including the hardware. I saw some earlier reviews that said the hardware wasn't well marked, but they must have corrected that issue, because everything they gave me was clearly labeled and there was no doubt as to what I should use and when.I assembled by myself using hand tools and it took 4 hours...taking my time to make sure I was doing it right and making sure each piece was properly aligned. But, two people with power tools could probably assemble it within 2 hours. For instance, it would have been nice to have someone assembling the 3 drawers while I worked on the main unit. Plus, an extra person would make lining up the pieces easier. Just be careful with your pieces during assembly and keep something between each piece of wood to avoid scraping one panel with another. I used the packing material it came with to separate them and it worked well.Based upon some of the reviews, some people had issues with the finished product, but after final assembly, my unit looks exactly like the one pictured. the doors are even and stay closed with the magnetic latches, and the drawers line up perfectly, opening and closing smoothly. Also, the bar is even with the top when in place. I am guessing that some people may have had issues, because they may not have lined up pieces properly during assembly. For instance, someone showed a picture of a crooked drawer, but that may have been caused by not properly sliding the drawer into the sliding strip of the drawer, because when I first slid my drawer in, I missed the strip and the drawer was crooked until I pulled it out again and realigned it.Overall, this product is much nicer than the $285 price I paid for it. I have no complaints! Swapping my table out for this cart has made my kitchen 10x nicer and much more functional. I wish I have done this much sooner.I recently moved out of my house to attend medical school, so I now live in a 2bd/2ba 850sqft apartment. Our entire living arrangement (particularly the kitchen) was a large downgrade in space so I needed more places to hold all of my snacks and miscellaneous goods. I was also looking for something that I could use to make coffee and tea on.This kitchen cart is the perfect addition to my new apartment. It has plenty of storage space for 20-lb bags of rice, 10-lb bags of potatoes, onions, medicine, dog treats, pots, pans, and first aid supplies. The cart itself was easy to assemble as long as you followed the directions. The drop leaf allows me to expand the countertop to 29"x36", which is excellent for making pizzas or storing countertop equipment (espresso machine, kettle, etc.).I must say, usually these knock down type pieces are furniture are a pain to put together but this kitchen island was the easiest ever! The unit was carefully packed, not one scratch on it. every piece was labeled correctly. Every hole lined up properly and after assembly it is so very sturdy! I'm not sure what units some of these reviews are talking about though. It was childs play! Only reason why I gave it a 4.5 rating is that it was all in one box and this old lady had a hell of a time getting it from point a to point b. Thank you HomeSense and thank you Amazon! Well worth the money! Perfect for our Cabin!i give it a 5 star even if i had to get 2 men to bring it up cause they left it at the bottom of my stairs they didnt take the time to bring it up stairs cause i do live up stairs. took 2 hours put it together looks cheap but when all together looks real nice nothing missing or broke i love it , thank you AmazonUn ami me la assemblé et il a mentionné que les directives étaient bien claires et que le tout fut assez facile à assembler. Trois à quatre heures fut nécessaire pour le complèter. Parce qu'il est mobile, je peux le rapprocher où j'en ai besoin. Il est solide et peux contenir un grand nombre d'articles. Je l'aime beaucoup!Very well constructed. All parts and pieces marked for easy assembly even the screws. Used screws not finish nails for a sturdier build. We painted our kitchen cupboards antique white and this was very close to match being of white. We painted the knobs black to match but not shown on rhe island as were not dry yet. We are very impressed with this and the ease of putting it together. Will definitely tell others.Since I paid so much for this, it will have to do. Serves it's purpose in my kitchen, but isnot well made. Plus only 2 wheels articulate making is really hard to move around whenyou want to. Mine also arrived damaged, but seller was kind of enough to offer discount for this.