Film it with your phone right now before anyone else touches it.

I would be asking about the "dust like sploshes" as you call them. Does it look like fingerprints or someone brushed against the finish before the finish dried? What sort of finish, gloss, matt?

if that's the non kitchen side...... does the other side have drawers?? how are those? given your questioning maybe be sure to template some overhang / buy stools / Pic does not show sides or front. Yet to finish things : counter/stools/pendants/flooring etc.....you usually divide that size into about thirds and use panels......and a panel or two on the sides...... so the configuration had me looking more than the graining/color etc..... but anyway the more I look at it.... I think you're okay. I dont think it's busy...the grain along w color is a feature you chose so I wouldnt be "undoing things" in the "middle" of executing your choices.

The side shown with the fireplace looks like a synchronized swimming group as the gals all rise to the surface! The other issues do not show up in pictures much. Once your space is complete these areas will be just not be scrutinized and really only you now are seeing any of these issues. We don't know what you paid so cannot comment on if you got your value.

The solid wood framing took stain differently than the veneered panels. Some pieces of the frame also seem lighter or darker. It's like matching two different floor sections, old and new. The stain has to be formulated specifically for each. It's an art. The frame in the second picture is lighter and a better match. Walnut can lighten over time. Rift cut walnut veneer would be less busy. Your veneer is flat cut. Rift Cut Walnut Veneer | Walnut Wood Veneers Sheets | Oakwood Veneer Company

Often things in reno are different than what you had before and you over analyze I am more curious about why you have the isnad delivered before the flooring is done . Veneer by its nature is thin the solid wood will always take stain differently and walnut is my fave wood but has its own issues . If you are concerend like mentioned take pics but we also need to see the whole island not one side . Veneers are nice when matched for drawers and panels so I would like to see the drawer side.

I had walnut veneer cabinets and to my eye, the 1/4” never looked as nice as the 3/4”. Don’t know why.

Arcy. I see the swimmers!

Did you get a door/side panel sample prior to approving the order? Does it look like the sample you approved? (I'll assume thiese are custom cabinets.)

I don't think any of us can weigh in on this. Walnut grain is pretty pronounced, but that's what people like about it.

@arcy_gw - I immediately saw the swimmers 🤣 - now I can't "unsee" them!

I have a question - and maybe I missed it - are you building this or is someone else buildig it for you? If someone else is building it for you, have you addressed your concerns with the carpenter (or builder/gc if someone else hired a subcontractor to build the island)?

If someone else is building the island, he/she should be experienced - and know that solid wood vs. veneered wood takes stain differently + know how to compensate for that in adjusting the stain.

I love walnut - you selected flat cut veneer = busy compared to what the final island would look like if you would have used rift sawn veneer. I assume that if someone else is building this, that the different types of veneer cuts were discussed with you - and that you were shown a sample of what a door (or drawer front if there are only drawers in your island) will look like (for your approval) before moving forward with the build.

Are the drawers/doors finished? In my opinion, how the veneer runs across doors/drawer fronts will make or break the look of the island. If they are not sequenced, it will make the island look VERY busy.

Right now, I think it looks pretty. Yes, the stain does not match exactly between the veneer and the solid pieces - as has already been commented above, it is an "art" to be able to finish wood - especially when combining solid wood + veneered portions. If someone else is building this, I would bring this to their attention and ask what can be done in order to make the panels look closer to the solid pieces. Sometimes a toner can be used in order to do that.

If you like wood grain (which I am assuming that you do since you selected flat cut veneer instead of rift sawn), I think that the island could be the "star" of your kitchen. What is your plan for the countertop?

Also, once everything else is added, you won't be staring at the sides of the island. Will the sides have seating? If yes, then most of the panels will be blocked by stools.

I think the cabinets, grain pattern, color are striking and attractive.

If you were hoping for a different effect - quieter, let’s say - I’m afraid it is a ” tough luck “ situation. Each species and cut of wood or veneer has a look, when you have cabinets built with that wood you are signing up for that look. If you selected from stained and finished samples of the wood and veneer and specified “I want THIS” then you should expect pretty close, but if you simply ordered walnut, then you got what you asked for.

And, again, I think it is quite lovely. Many kitchens wish they had such a piece at their center.

Maybe there are details not visible in the photos, like those dust patches you mentioned, but if they aren’t discernible in the photos, they won’t be noticeable to an ordinary user of the kitchen either.