“The Cresta Side Table is very attractive, with a high-quality finish. It’s slightly larger than I anticipated, though the measurements provided online were accurate. It arrived extremely well packaged and in perfect condition.
Unfortunately, the assembly instructions left much to be desired. Having recently assembled several pieces of Indian-made furniture (not from Barker & Stonehouse), I’ve noticed a recurring issue with confusing diagrams and incorrect labelling. I’m an ex-engineer and furniture restorer, so I’m confident assembling these things, but in this case I found it easier to figure it out without the instructions.
The main difficulty came from two of the eight bolts, which would not engage with the threads by hand as the others did. Because they are particularly long, it took a considerable amount of time to wind them in with the provided Allen key rather than simply tightening them as intended. It was clear they had cross-threaded. I managed to tighten them fully, but it required real effort.
The strain this caused on the the inferior quality allen key damaged it, so I had to source another. Subsequently, the build should have taken about 20 minutes, but ended up 1.5 hours. I will be speaking to Barker & Stonehouse about this and hoping they can oblige with a gesture of good will.
If I had spotted the threaded issue in the shop, I would have asked for another table, though I wouldn’t be surprised if the same issue occurred again. I don’t expect to disassemble it, but as those two threads are damaged, doing so may make reassembly impossible.
About halfway through, I found myself thinking how unnecessary it was for a piece with just five components to require self-assembly at all. I do wish it had been available pre-built.
Overall, the table looks great and feels solid - a worthy 4 stars, but the poor instructions and problematic fastenings took the shine off what could have been an excellent experience, so I have given it 3 stars. Just.”
