walnut desk restoration

A 100+ year-old desk came to me for restoration with the old finish mostly stripped off. In the past, it apparently had a dark mahogany stain on it. I finished stripping the piece and then bleached the old stain out of wood. The resulting walnut wood, when I wipe it with some paint thinner to get an idea of the color, is very brown. I know, it's walnut, and walnut is brown. But, frankly, it isn't very attractive, although the desk has great lines and is definitely worth saving. Oddly, the drawer fronts appear to be something other than walnut, perhaps mahogany as the wood has a definite red caste. The desk is all solid wood, no veneer. I'd like some suggestions for how I can give the piece some color and a bit more life. I don't want to end up with dark mahogany again.