Customer Reviews

Dolce 4-Shelf Folding Bookcase - Dark Walnut

5 star:		(108)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Battered and weary from having assembled way too much cheap particleboard furniture over the course of a lifetime, I searched the Net for affordable, well made, decent looking bookcases. I found these and took a chance.

Even with standard shipping, I had my bookcases within 72 hours...and opened the boxes to find the bookcases simply wonderful, with no assembly required! You just stand them up against the wall at a 70-degree angle, prop the sides into place and let the shelves fall into place.

I'm not sure which I like better, their no-assembly ease or their tasteful good looks. (Made in Thailand, they really do look like they came from Pottery Barn or Pier One.)

Buyers with crawling kids or inquisitive toddlers should probably secure the bookcases to the wall for safety, but that's true of all free-standing bookcases.

Nice furniture, fast and cheap -- with no assembly required...imagine that!

I had great hopes for this item though not especially high expectations. Nevertheless, straight out of the box, one of the hinges was pulled right out of the wood, several dowels used to assemble the pieces were clearly visible because the boards apparently are not long enough, several corners were chipped -- under the finish so it happened before assembly, two of the shelves were either terribly misaligned or warped so they did not seat correctly. Yes, it was an instant-assembly item. Yes, it is actually made out of real wood. Yes, the design is very nice. But, no, I'm not keeping it because the thing was slapped together without consideration for quality control and I'd be too wary of putting any weight on the shelves because half of them don't seat properly (or at all) on their support pegs.

We just received this item in the mail, popped it out of the box and opened it up, immediately ready for books. No assemply required! It folds up easily and conveniently, something a college student may want to consider for those trips back to school each Fall. It's made out of quality hard wood, and appears to be such. It appears very strong for my husband's medical books, but the true test will come when I reorganize his office. It has larger shelves on the bottom for larger books, and smaller shelves on top for those small text books that never seem to fit in a traditional book case; unless you buy a shelf specifically for smaller books. With this unit, you have it all-in-one, another convenient feature for the space saving college student. I ordered only one in the dark wood, now I wish I had ordered several more while the shipping was free. This is a heavy shippment which incurs significant shipping fees, I would not have ordered this if I had to pay the shipping fees. I also ordered the "mission-style of this unit--can't wait to see that one too!

This is a terrible product. It fell apart in the box before I received it, and came with no assembly instructions. When I finally managed to put it back together to some degree, the pieces didn't even sit at 90 degree angles from each other, so I returned it.

I have to say, amazon was great about the return, and paid for the return shipping as well as refunded me for my original shipping, since it was their mistake.

the dark coffee coloured finish appeals to my gothic sensibilities. the folding design appeals to my transient nature. this bookcase could have been made for me!

a couple of points I didn't see otherwise mentioned:
--the open top is nice for oversized books.
--it does fold up--but it's a bit heavy and awkward. I chipped mine trying to transport it by myself.
--if you jam yours full, the open sides will encourage your smaller books to warp. also, it's easy to catch the book covers on the back support frame. however, this will happen if you're as careless with your books as I am.

I wish they made the same model, only taller.
I wish they made a crown top for them, like some folding bookcases have. that would be cool.

we've had ours for a couple of years. they're packed to the gills and holding up great. they look pretty nice (they'd look nicer if I didn't fill them so full.) a good purchase.

I have not used this long, (...) but this really has been great. It was sort of dusty when it came, and I had to wipe it. It seems to attract dust very easily, one of the downsides. Another problem is the back-support for the books is high, and smaller books might easily fall off the shelf if not careful. This is not much of an issue, because you can always put bigger books on the side, and all books up vertically. The good thing, however, was that it took virtually one minute to unpack, and to set up. The side fences can be fold into the center, and the shelfs can be fold up. It came in a heavy and man size though not very thick package. This looks very elegent to me, I don't know why the other reviewer thinks it's "Cheap"?!

I, like another reviewer, bought three of these at Target three and a half years ago, and decided I finally needed a fourth to hold my DVDs, because really, who wants to spend forty bucks on a DVD cabinet when you can get something much better that coordinates with your decor for ten bucks more???

As that same previous reviewer mentioned, I, too, moved after purchasing these bookcases, and it was SO much easier to just box up my books, fold these flat, and go! They're worth every penny you'll spend on them! And they'll look GREAT in your home!!!

... They are exactly what I was looking for. I'd bought self-assemble shelves before, and these are much sturdier and no assembly required. I eventually went back and bought two more. ... It is a dark wood, it does collect dust and that there isn't a solid back so be careful when shelving smaller items. Otherwise, these are perfect for a small space or for someone looking for [inexpensive] shelves. They collapse and can be stored and transported easily.

If you want something cheap and easy, this is the bookcase for you. It was well-packed; I had no problems with damage. Once I got the box opened and removed all the packing materials, all I had to do was let the shelves fall into place. I just moved and I am so tired of having to assemble every little thing--this was a refreshing change. It looks fine, but the finish is definitely "cherrier" than the picture leads you to believe. Also, it is a tiny bit wobbly; the other reviewer who recommended bolting it to the wall is right if you think your children/pets/whoever will knock it over or if you plan to really load it with stuff. I use it for CDs and DVDs, so it's holding up well. Be sure and note the dimensions; the bookcase measures roughly 4' high by 2' wide, it's not very large at all. Overall, I am pleased with this purchase.

I own this bookshelf in a lighter stain, and it's great - I got it when I started grad school and it moved to several different apartments and across half the country with me. It folds up and packs really easily, and was sturdy enough to hold tons of really heavy textbooks. Can't beat that!