Croccy, I have no objection to the look of the stuff, my whinge is just that some of it contains as much sand as wood! :o
I have seen some magnificent bits of it, like a whole table top of fiddleback walnut I once saw in Tolga Woodworks (with an eye-watering price tag to match).
It got a bit over-used at one time - when we were kids, walnut veneered ply was everywhere. And I can't say I like much of the art-deco furniture that Rob was talking about, either. But each to his/her own, a good friend of mine has an art-deco dining table that is mostly walnut veneer, she thinks it's beautiful, I think it's a fugly, lumpish thing (with sharp, thigh-catching corners that are particularly hazardous in the small apartment it lives in). The veneer keeps flaking & she has paid big $$s to get it repaired. She once asked my advice on what to do about it & I said "burn it". She hasn't asked my opinion since.....
:D
Cheers,