Forest Steps

Got this for my kids to use in the bathroom around Christmas. As mentioned in another review, instructions are not as clear as they could be, but assembly was easy enough. What disappoints me the most is how the steps are not holding up. The wood is warping, the image and and shellack are peeling, and the tops of both steps look terrible. We were originally planning to purchase a step stool from pottery barn, but found this one too be cuter. Really disappointed how it held up.

This step stool is undoubtedly cute. But there were some problems and I have to say, as a parent I'm a bit disappointed with my first purchase from Tender Leaf. I love their designs and mission/values re: sustainability, but this experience left me questioning whether I'll buy from them again. Assembly was a pain (literally and figeratively) - the Allen wrench they provided didn't actually fit the screws. I have a set of Allen wrenches I could have used instead, but forged ahead with what was provided because I'm stubborn and had a 'it's the principle' mindset. Definitely a mistake, I ended up with a small blister on my finger from my efforts. Their diagrams also aren't as clear as they could be. I accidentally attached the sides with the "outside" facing in and didn't realize until I'd already made some pretty significant progress. It took about 45 minutes to assemble. Probably would take less time if you didn't have to fix that mistake, and had an Allen wrench that actually fits. The interior storage is a bit shallower than expected. I had hoped to fit my child's bubble bath and some other things in there, but I measured and it's only 5" high. The middle hinge also makes a loud clicking noise when you open it all the way. My spouse and I both triple checked and it's not installed incorrectly. It's loud enough that you don't want to open/close if your kid is sleeping in the next room. It seems pretty stable now that it's assembled, and looks great in our bathroom. But will need to be modified slightly to be safer. Will attach some rubber pads on the bottom so it doesn't slide on our bathroom floors. I like it well enough to keep it (and to be honest, returning during COVID is a deterrent). However, if I had to do it again and I'd known about these issues, I probably would buy a less expensive option and stencil the little bird and feet prints myself.