Storkcraft Avalon 6 Drawer Double Dresser (Gray) – Nursery Dresser for Kids Bedroom, Chest of Drawers

This may be a long review, so I apologize in advance. Overall I am very happy with this purchase. For the price, I am very impressed with how sturdy this dresser feels and I love that it is real wood (not mdf or particle board) and real screws (not just dowels and cam screws). I have put together a lot of furniture in my time and while this did take a bit longer than most, it is also much sturdier and I have real hope it will last long enough for our child to grow into using once it's nursery value has passed.I'm going to start with the few cons I noticed while setting it up, just to get them out of the way.- Labeling for the instructions/putting together was not the best. In the manual several of the screw types look very similar even though they look very different in real life. I wish they had labeled the pouches the hardware came in with the letters to make it easier to match up exactly which screw you need when. Also, 2 of the pieces were mislabeled, so at first I thought I had 2x parts 8 and 2. Luckily they just had the wrong stickers and I actually had one each of 2,3, 7, and 8, which is what I needed. The mislabel could easily have gone the other way though and resulted in them shipping me duplicates which would not have worked.- While the packaging was excellent, more care could have been taken with the pieces before being packaged. One of the drawer fronts has a noticeable scuff in one corner and there were a few other nicks and dings. Overall nothing worth getting a replacement for, especially since we plan to paint it anyway, but if you are more of a perfectionist it might be enough to be a problem for you. Mosrly it just shows a lack of care when handling the pieces at the factory (especially when combined with the incorrect labels), as these were definitely small damages that happened before shipping.- Not all of the drawers are quite as smooth gliding as I hoped, although there is a chance that is somehow becaise I out then together incorrectly. I don't think I did, and none of them is loud or clunky enough to be a real problem, but as this will be in the same room as a sleeping baby I would have preferred they were a little quieter.None of these cons is enough to take off a full star for, although if half stars were an option I may have gone with 4.5. I just wanted to mention them so people were aware, as they may be more an issue for someone else.Now for the Pros:- It's really a lovely, spacious dresser. I really like the style and design and couldn't find anything else similar (design wise) for less than $500. Unfortunately it seems that this product line may be ending as it went out of stock in every color except black at every store I looked, which is why we ended up with the black when we wanted Grey or White. Hopefully they realize how popular it is and bring it back, because even in the black it is really beautiful (just a little dark for a nursery, in our opinion). It's a lovely, glossy black (without being too shiny) and the wood for the drawers inside is also very pleasant and soft (I've had some dressers with coarse wood inside that ruined my clothes, that won't be the case here).- It was well packaged. The outer box actually had some damage from shipping but that didn't penetrate through the packaging to damage the pieces inside at all. Also, the velarious box pieces used to insulate inside were taped, rather than glued or stapled. This may seem like a small thing, but between work and other furniture I have put together I can tell you tape is Much easier to deal with when it comes time to break the boxes down for recycling/disposal.- It is very sturdy. I have out together a lot of relatively inexpensive furniture and for the price this is much better quality than I expected. Real wood and screws instead of mdf and cams. This does mean it takes longer to put together, but it's worth it as the final product will def hold together (something very important as it will also be a changing table for our baby!) that I have faith will be able to grow up with our son rather than only last through the nursery years.Neutrals:- It does take some time to put together. For me this wasn't a problem, but overall it took about 5 hours. Granted I had to take a few breaks, being 7 months pregnant, but I am very experienced putting together furniture (I'm usually the person in our house that does anything like that) and I would guess that even with a more involved 2nd pair of hands (my husband had his own project and mostly only helped with heavy lifting and the push pins) and no baby belly it would take at least 2 or 3 hours.I would advise any pregnant woman to have a 2nd body around at least for heavy lifting, as it is 150 lbs in the packaging and not super light when put together (and there are a few times when you need to rotate or tilt it). I also had a very hard time with the push pins, but my finger strength isn't great. Someone who isn't pregnant could probably do it alone, but it's much easier with some help. While they only provide one Allen wrench (and none of my fancy special grip ones worked because the space they were used in was tiny) one person could easily work on the drawers, which require a Phillips head, while the other worked on the body, which uses the Allen wrench. The drawers alone took me about an hour, but I was very tired by that point and not working fast.Tldr: I love this dresser and am very happy with my purchase as it is both sturdy and beautiful. If I could take off half a star for substandard labeling and lack of care in the warehouse I would, but it is closer to 5 stars than 4 in overall quality. Get some help to put it together, it'll be much easier. I hope to add pics to my review soon.

Solid piece of furniture that has stood the test of time and child's play, including my daughter writing all over the side. I changed out the knobs to get crystal knobs, but it is going on 5 years and even after a move with not so gengle handlers, it is in great shape. I, a fairly small female, was able to assemble it myself. Definitely worth the investment. I am now looking for additional pieces for the youngest kiddo as it seems like it will also suit and stand her adventurous personality.

Edit: So I am pregnant again, (35 weeks…. Don’t take this long before you build your dresser!) and decided to buy this dresser again. The original we bought has survived, very well actually, a rambunctious toddler and a move to a new state, so I figured I’d go ahead and buy this again. It’s still beautiful and sturdy and I had honestly completely forgot the nightmare it was to put it together. Yay hormones!Amazingly though, the company has completely redone the dresser internals/design! Oh sure it LOOKS the same, but somehow feels even more sturdy, and was actually super easy to put together, a complete contrast to the first one we bought.The parts were labeled very clearly (with stickers put in locations that would either be hidden or were in the back, so nothing you’d have to peel off to keep the piece beautiful), the instructions were clear, and all of the drilled holes and pieces fit together smoothly with everything lining up. Had I not been so horrifically whale-like this time around, (again, 35 weeks pregnant. With twins!) I could have put this together entirely by myself. This is a complete turnaround from the original/first one of these that we bought about 2 years ago.Last time I would have recommended this to only experienced builders, despite how beautiful I think the piece is. Now? Heck, I’d recommend this to anyone. It really was a very nice build and if it’s anywhere as sturdy as the last one has been, you’d definitely get your moneys worth out of it.Original Post: It’s a beautiful dresser, and seems sturdy. The drawers slide smoothly, and the top is wide enough to put a changing pad on, which is what I had hoped for. The negative is that, drawers aside, the dresser is a nightmare to put together.The hubby and I have plenty of experience putting box furniture together…. And this sucked. I feel there are ways of putting it together so it’s even sturdier, and they have rounded cut outs for the screws that could have been better if they squared it off sot he washers fit better.The parts didn’t come labeled, and some were skittering loose around the box. The instructions seemed to be of the opinion that six, poorly drawn steps were sufficient to easily put it together, and I can assure you, it would have been better if they separated it out to at least 10 steps, with more detailed drawings. Not every piece was labeled and it took ages to figure out how they wanted some of the parts put together.While it came together in the end, I would not buy this if I didn’t have experience putting furniture together. The drawers and the instructions for them were good, and easy to put together and slip into place, but the main dresser? No way, it was a pain.

If you have ever assembled an IKEA or Sauder piece of furniture, this should feel familiar. If not, I would recommend paying extra attention to the instructions so that you understand how the camlock system works. This item is exactly what I expected - a less expensive alternative to solid hardwood that is easier to ship. Assembly was pretty straightforward and the finished piece is solid with zero wobble; took me about 2 1/2 hours by myself. Fit and finish generally was good; my only gripe is that the curve on the top/back (second picture) is ever so slightly miscut, resulting in a gap of maybe 1/16". Given what this item is and what we paid for it (got it during Big Deal Days), I am not terribly upset by this. If that is something that would bother you, I would skip this type of item and get a solid hardwood piece. Overall I am happy with the purchase; it will do exactly what we need for the twins we are expecting. Having a changing table space on the top is a bonus.

I like how the drawers are designed. They don’t all open at once, which helps protect babies