Why were they white washed?

I was worried that the wood would be too dark after it was sealed so white washing was the suggestion.

Your inspiration pic doesn’t appear to whitewashed to me. It looks natural. White oak has such a beautiful grain and color I would not white wash it - almost like painting it. Anything you do to it will continue to cover the grain. Gel stain may work, but I wouldn’t do that to white oak. If it were me I would sand off the white wash and just use a water based topcoat to avoid yellowing.

I’m surprised they didn’t do a sample for approval prior to executing the whole thing. I’d say post all your other finishes with it and maybe something can be tweaked elsewhere if needed.