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Customer Reviews for Real Simple Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso

Real Simple Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso

Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit provides a customizable storage cubby for a variety of storage needs. Compatible with all Real Simple storage and system accessories (sold separately) including drawers, bins and inserts. Espresso finish. Decorative feet. Includes nine open-front storage compartments. Hidden hardware maintains a clean, seamless look. Measures 36" W x 11 7/10" D x 38 1/2" H. Imported.
Average Customer Rating:
2.906 out of 5
2.9
 out of 
5
(32 Reviews) 32
Open Ratings Snapshot
Rating Breakdown 32 reviews
5 stars
7
4 stars
8
3 stars
3
2 stars
3
1 star
11
17 out of 32(53%)reviewers would recommend this product.
Customer Reviews for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Review 1 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
4 / 5
4 / 5

Ignore the bad reviews!!!

PostedApril 26, 2013
SouthernStyle
from Mobile, AL
Would you recommend?Yes
I was worried about purchasing this item after reading the reviews, but I LOVE IT!!! I was able to put it together by myself in less than an hour. If you follow the instructions it is not hard. I only used half of the nails provided to secure the back panel and it is very sturdy. Be sure to screw the feet in tight or it will be a little wobbly. The fact that it comes with little stickers to cover the un-used holes is great! Makes it look a lot nicer. I am using it in my entry hallway to display books and picture frames. If you are on a budget like I am this is a great find!!
1 of 1 found this review helpful.
Review 2 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
3 / 5
3 / 5

Love this!

PostedApril 14, 2013
vander
from Utah
Would you recommend?Yes
After reading all the bad reviews I had to give my 2 cents.
First off, I put this together by myself. It is possible, but I would recommend 2 people for sure! Next I put it together wrong!! my top and bottom were where the sides should be and my sides were where my top and bottom should be! So pay attention to that when you are putting it together. Unfortunately I did not notice this until I had hammered on the cardboard backing! And taking it off seemed impossible!
I have to give Bed Bath and Beyond some credit. I called in the store and told them the mistake I had made and asked if there was anything they could do to help me. They simply told me to bring it back! So I took it back fully assembled and exchanged it for another one. This time I had some help putting it together and it turned out great!
I love all the different looks you can have with it.
But some tips...
-I do think you should have some help
-Make sure everything is facing the right way
-Be careful with the pegs, they can be flimsy
1 of 1 found this review helpful.
Review 3 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
1 / 5
1 / 5

keep on looking

PostedApril 14, 2013
seelove
Would you recommend?No
i was excited to find this unit, assuming it would be good quality because it is the real simple brand. sadly it is junk. it was easy enough to put together but very wobbly and unstable. i also wish the cubbies were a bit larger. i will be returning this to the store.
Review 4 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
5 / 5
5 / 5

Surprised, impressed, happy with purchase

PostedMarch 19, 2013
Anonymous
from Milwaukee, WI
Would you recommend?Yes
This unit is reasonably priced, and you assemble it yourself. So you can expect something solid and useful, but should know not to not expect the sturdiest and strongest piece of furniture ever. I've assembled a lot of bookshelves and the like, so I will say that when you're putting this one together, it is a little unsteadier than most. But once it is together and in place, it will be solid. I don't know what the negative reviewers did wrong, but just assemble it carefully per the instructions, and it will be fine.
I was disappointed when the instructions showed dowels and glue... but they actually include the wood glue, which most similar products don't. This was great. There was one other pleasant surprise--there are holes on the insides of the cubes for adding shelves, and they actually provide stickers to cover the holes that are not in use. Overall, this unit looks really nice and functions very well for its intended purpose of basic storage.
Review 5 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
1 / 5
1 / 5

DO NOT PURCHASE THIS ITEM

PostedMarch 18, 2013
1Kelly
from Cleveland, Ohio
Would you recommend?No
This is way overpriced for some dowels and particleboard. I put it together and it sways it is not sturdy at all, ended up throwing it out. Save your money do not buy this.
0 of 1 found this review helpful.
Review 6 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
5 / 5
5 / 5

Wonderful!!!

PostedMarch 15, 2013
karrot22
from michigan
Would you recommend?Yes
I just finished putting this together. Very easy & did it alone. I will be putting in my bedroom to organize a few things. Love the different choices you have for the cubes, It looks very clean with simple lines.
Review 7 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
4 / 5
4 / 5

Pleased with quality for price

PostedMarch 15, 2013
Augustgirl
Would you recommend?Yes
I was leery of buying this after reading the reviews of how it was cheaply made and difficult to put together. For the price, the quality is better than I expected. It is much better and looks nicer than Walmart furniture I've had in the past, and is as good or better than IKEA. I was considering buying an IKEA expedit unit, but the dimensions of two of these work better for us. It was pretty simple to put together. I love that they also include a package of sticky dots to cover up any holes you're not going to use for inserts, to make it look finished.
Review 8 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
1 / 5
1 / 5

Piece of junk

PostedMarch 4, 2013
lf1977
from Atlanta, GA
Would you recommend?No
Disappointed by quality of the product and the instructions. Put it together "wrong" the first time (even though I'm pretty detail-oriented and followed the directions closely). Once I realized my mistake I seriously considered just taking it back. I undid the assembly about halfway and got it back together correctly, but the cardboard backing was damaged by pulling all the nails out. The label stickers pull off the finish and the whole unit is just rickety and cheap. Don't buy this - spend a little more and get something of quality.
0 of 1 found this review helpful.
Review 9 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
1 / 5
1 / 5

Anything but Real Simple - Buyer Beware!

PostedFebruary 26, 2013
jwinnc
from NC
Would you recommend?No
I have to say I had high hopes for this storage unit, but unfortunately they were never realized. How disappointed was I? Let me count the ways.
1) The white version of this unit is not stocked at most stores - so I had to order it online. The unit came shipped in another box but it was inadequately packaged so this very heavy unit shifted about and ended up damaging the corner of the unit - not visible until I was mostly through construction of the unit.
2) The box the unit came in was glued - there was no way to remove the contents without destroying the box so any thoughts of returning it were dashed.
3) The unit is fiber board and laminate - this is something that is cleverly worded so it is not revealed in the online description or accompanying video. Sorry, but if something has an "espresso finish" I'm thinking stain, not laminate. Further, the laminate is only on one side so you have a permanent front and no laminate on the back side of the unit.
4) The video says detailed instructions, but that isn't the case. The instructions for the most part are diagrams. And one problem with this, in particular, is that the orientation of the diagram shifts from page to another. Explicitly, it was in a key point of assembling the shelve units to the cross and side planks. It wasn't apparent until I had assembled the sides, top and bottom that I realized the pin holes were 90 degrees off. At which point it was impossible to correct. It would have benefited from having some greater detail. The one thing the instructions got right was warning people about assembling parts with the laminate facing the same direction - I bet that came up in the product testing.
5) Assembly - this is a two person job, don't kid yourself, the extreme care you need to take in assembling the long boards and the cross shelves lends itself to breaking the dowels and damaging the fiberboard laminate as you shift it to assemble. The extreme weight of the fiberboard was such that it quickly and easily bent and in one case ended up breaking from the connection point of the dowels. Also, the locking mechanism screw caps are aluminum and bent and broke in the process of assembling.
6) Parts - The glue that came with unit was inadequate and nearly impossible to use - the needlenose was clogged with dry glue which ended up popping off and making a mess.
7) Backing - to say I was surprised that there was only laminate on one side of the shelves forcing the unit to be assembled one direction was nothing when I realized the "backing" for the unit was merely a white, one sides, folded in three, piece of cardboard. YES CARDBOARD - cheap, damaged on the corner from shipping, providing no stability whatsoever nor adhering to the unlaminated side of the fiberboard shelves and uprights with the woefully inadequate and not particularly sticky glue. At least the pads for the feet of the unit had a good strong, peel and stick adhesive.
8) Accessories - Fabric "drawer" pull outs don't come with lids! the tab in front gives the illusion of a lid, but they are merely open bins. Another disappointment. Again not evident by what was seen online, in the description of photos of the parts on the packaging.
9) Cross Shelves - like the unit itself came in glued packaging that once opened could not be reused. Additionally, the cardboard packaging was really hard to open, but if you took a box knife to it, I'm sure you would damage what was inside. If I could add photos demonstrating the torn up cardboard, I'd do that.
Overall, I am really disappointed. I don't feel I can return it because of the torn up packaging and because there is no way to re/un-assemble it and repackage it to ship back. The way it constructs, I can't take it apart to change the orientation of the shelves and their holes to line up the right way because once you take it apart the the assembly parts that have been glued break.
It's a great idea, but the reason I didn't buy the one at Ikea was that theirs was laminate. This one being laminate was a big disappointment as well. The laminate has already stained in places, is starting to become unglued in spots and has dings on the corners from shipment and assembly. The unit lacks stability and the option to use it in the middle of a room to divide areas is marred by the fact you either have the unlaminated fiber board back side or the ugly grey cardboard backing.
I definitely would not purchase it again, nor rook my friends into wasting hours helping me assemble another one.
It really is too bad, this is a great idea and modular nature of the unit is truly a versatile feature. Unfortunately, it came appart in the execution - much like the fiber board, laminate and dowels.
I am very sad as I have purchased other shelving units from Bed, Bath and Beyond in the past. These have been an all wood construction (i.e. NOT fiber board) and have held up very well - going on 10+ years now. These were finished in both white and cherry/mahogany stain on wood.
Buyer Beware! Run away!
Were it possible to award zero stars - I would have.
1 of 1 found this review helpful.
Review 10 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
2 / 5
2 / 5

BE CAREFUL WHEN ASSEMBLING

PostedFebruary 24, 2013
screenrider
from Los Angeles, CA
Would you recommend?No
I bought two of these. I put one together in less than an hour. But when assembling the second one, I picked it up to turn it around (you have to turn the unit around quite often to assemble the unit) and the cheap wooden dowels that hold the pieces together snapped in half. (NOTE: Never pick up the unit by the pieces marked "D.") Half of each dowel is now stuck inside the hole and not only is there no way to get them out, but there are no spare dowels. So now the item is totally useless -- I have to throw it away. Seriously, it's like the dowels were made of graham crackers. Would it kill them to use stronger materials for the dowels?
1 of 1 found this review helpful.
Review 11 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
4 / 5
4 / 5

Went and bought additional

PostedDecember 22, 2012
annelexi85
from Indianapolis, IN
Would you recommend?Yes
I was cautious about purchasing this product after reading the reviews. I went ahead and bought it anyway. I absolutely love the first one I purchased so I went and bought another one. Very stylish. I have a 3 year old child so I put it up against a wall so it won't have a chance of tipping. I was able to put it together and move it by myself and I am by no means "good' at putting stuff like this together. I'm looking forward to purchasing 2 more for around the house!
0 of 1 found this review helpful.
Review 12 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
1 / 5
1 / 5

I found a product of worse quality than Ikea

PostedDecember 1, 2012
thedruggist
from Snoqualmie, WA
Would you recommend?No
This shelf looks decent, BUT it is so poorly constructed it is pitiful. First, the walls are only attached to the bottom frame by wooden dowels, no anchors no nothing, I had to go to the hardware store and buy L brackets to secure the walls to the frame, pathetic! I rarely write reviews, but this product was so bad, I just had to. If you merely touch the product it sways back and forth b/c it isn't secure (hence the L bracket). I would spend the extra money and buy something else.
1 of 1 found this review helpful.
Review 13 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
4 / 5
4 / 5

PERFECT!!

PostedNovember 9, 2012
Sunshine879
from San Diego, CA
Would you recommend?Yes
This is definitely a great product at a great price. The only factor that kept me from giving it 5 stars is that it doesn't have adjustable shelves for the taller binders I wanted to put in there. All of my DVD's fit and most of my books which is definitely a plus. The color fits well with the rest of my furniture and it's not very bulky. I like the slenderness to it. The back is cardboard but once covered by all the books you can't tell anyway. It looks and feels sturdy all around!
Review 14 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
1 / 5
1 / 5

So disappointed !!!

PostedAugust 31, 2012
usmcwifeandmomoftwo
Would you recommend?No
Bought this for my kids playroom to store all of their books and toys. It was easy to assemble and than I had to turn it over to put the base on the whole thing collapsed and all the wood split and screws snapped. So upset !!!!
Review 15 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
4 / 5
4 / 5

LOVE IT!!!!

PostedJuly 20, 2012
Wine152lover
from Pittsburgh PA
Would you recommend?Yes
I bought to use in our spare room, to help HIDE things that did not have a home. I love it! Easy to assemble and it looks nice. I bought four bins to organize all the little items laying around and filled the other openings with books and photo boxes. I would highly recommend if you are looking for an inexpensive organizational solution to your junk drawer.
Review 16 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
1 / 5
1 / 5

Not of good quality

PostedJune 23, 2012
Oakplace
from Orlando, Florida
Would you recommend?No
This was poorly produced. Some of the pieces were chipped out of the box. I do not recommend. Spend the extra money and get something nicer.
Review 17 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
1 / 5
1 / 5

Too Simple to be True

PostedJune 22, 2012
NewlyWed2012
from Provo, Ut
Would you recommend?No
This looks super cute and a nice element to add to the room; super easy to put together, but it's so wobbly I wouldn't trust putting anything on it.
Review 18 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
4 / 5
4 / 5

Cute little storage item

PostedMay 10, 2012
1Nurseshark
from Las Vegas, NV
Would you recommend?Yes
I read some of the other reviews that weren't favorable. For the price this little storage shelf is perfect. It is easy to put together. It is not meant to be a high dollar ticket item. It is perfect in my daughter's bedroom and looks contemporary. The storage ideas are clever and make it more interesting than just cubes. We got the tan inserts and it looks great.
1 of 1 found this review helpful.
Review 19 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
1 / 5
1 / 5

Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit

PostedMay 4, 2012
DissapointedBuyer
from Woodbridge VA
Would you recommend?No
Purchased item and put it together in a short time to only find that this item is not stable-its wobbly. The wooden pegs that hold the sides together are not long enough which makes the shelf wobble!! The pegs should allow the sides to fit tighter. I will have to puchase wood glue to make it fit better.
This is really heavy pressed wood but it should not wobble. Had I not thrown the box out - I would have taken it back.
I will be going back to Ikea.
Review 20 for Real Simple 9-Cube Storage Unit - Espresso
Rating: 
2 / 5
2 / 5

I guess I'm spoiled...

PostedApril 29, 2012
foreverstudent
from VT
Would you recommend?No
After years of IKEA and a few weekends of putting together a room of baby furniture, I had forgotten how cheaply this stuff could be made. A storage cube that needs joint lock screws, dowels, finishing nails, a hex wrench, phillips and flat-head screwdrivers? Really? And its still about as structurally sound as something I built in my parents' garage at the age of 8.
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