The chairs were shipped with huge amounts of styrofoam and arrived with no damage. The materials were of high quality. One chair had a slight wobble which we were able to fix. The finish is indeed dark cherry. You need to examine closely in good light to see the wood grain. This is the darkest of all the mission furniture we own, but fits in well with the rest of our pieces. Very comfortable for a counter stool. I would guess that the height is over the stated 24 inches even when the seat cussion is compressed by a body, maybe 26 inches.