You can't go by the color of the wood. Both red and white oak have wide variations. Based on the appearance of the end grain, I believe both pieces of the tabletop are white oak. It does seem, though, that your woodworker didn't choose his materials very carefully.

Yes,Red Oak,White Oak and the lower shelf look's like Cedar,definatly not oak. Surly you could see this before buying it. I think it's part of the design.