A poorly done veneer job is awful. There is a real art to doing one well. If a veneer is done well then it's beautiful and has the benefit of making a piece of furniture that isn't so heavy.

Most veneers come from extremely dense wood. I see a lot of maple in this desk. If this desk was built from 100% flame maple it would weigh a ton. I have 2 Mesa Boogie single cabinet amps, one in bird's eye flame maple and on in imbuia wood. They are dangerously heavy to move.

Still, I love solid wood but veneer does have a place but only if done by a master-level person.