I think it would look great wrapped with thick rope if you like rustic, or brick the column

By rustic did you mean you had wanted a solid timber column? If so, you might try wrapping it with solid wood boards. Reclaimed wood might work well.

The way it looks it looks like someone tried to encase a lally column in wood. Not a good job. If this is true then that wood is non structural and can ripped off, and encased the right way as in above photo

I did want a solid timber column. However a skinny 4x4 was used which is now encased in concrete. We wanted to "beef" up the post so added additional pieces of wood. I was hoping to find something similar to the pictures, but less Tiki.

Quote: "I did want a solid timber column."

Get what you want. There are pro's out there who can replace that skinny column with your choice of a beefier SOLID column. That's why house jacks were invented

I have come across this issue in a few of my kitchen projects. I would consider incorporating the column into island. Here is one of my projects where I designed incorporated a column into a peninsula. you could easily do something similar with an island.

We wrapped the column with fluted filler details and quarter rounds in the corner. We also built back to back TV's spanning from the column to the wall.

This is just for fun.... I have plenty of experience working on several commercial interior projects as well. I was the interior designer of the Coeur de' Alene Discount Cinemas in CDA, Idaho, a movie theater a few years back. There was a single column out in the middle of no where, smack dab in the middle of the main lobby. At first I was so puzzled to what I was going to do with it. Than my client gave me a box of their popcorn to try. It instantly came to me.

The moral of the story, think outside of the box. Sometimes you need to make it proud than to try hide it.