First off, I'm incredibly happy with this purchase. Since you're probably wondering, yes the finished product really does look as good as the official pictures. I got this to complement my small kitchen and now I couldn't imagine the space without it. I use the shelves to store pots, pans, and small appliances. I use the drawers to store all of my glass food storage containers. And the towel racks are a lifesaver.Now, while I give this product 5 stars and I'm deeply impressed at the quality for the price, I feel I should still mention the shortcomings. First, the directions understate how long this takes to put together. My father and I are both reasonably handy and it took us almost 6 hours to finish this together. You might be able to rush through it faster, but we took the time to try and get everything secure and aligned properly. Many of the fasteners seemed a bit flimsy. Also, while it says its MDF, it looks to me like its made of particle board. I had my doubts about the sturdiness of this while putting it together, but the finished product seems very solid and I expect it to last for many years. The top also thankfully really is solid wood and provides a great surface to work and eat on.I use this as my dining table as well as a food prep surface as my place is quite small. It works well for both as it comfortably has room for two stools. Initially the island seemed unsteady and felt like I might topple it over when resting an arm with some body weight on the fold-out section. My solution was to put some weight plates at the bottom of the cabinets, and to store my cast iron pans in there. This worked wonderfully as I can really lean on the fold-out section and it still feels solid and stable. An extra hundred pounds or so down near the bottom of the unit really made all the difference. Note: I also customized it by switching the handles for ones that matched my built-in cabinets.