From the point of view of how we manage our time, which is unrelentingly finite, I don't find oil a practical seal for the traffic and spills of the kitchen area, unless you enjoy constantly tending something, cleaning and re-oiling regularly. Timber floor finishes have changed a lot in recent years. Polyurethane gives timber a distinctly tan/orange colour. Water based seals are a bit more expensive but far more durable in low sheen than polyurethane, and doesn't add that orange tint. If you wet a piece of your timber you will see a similar effect to water-based seal - it intensifies the marks, grains, tones and colour differences somewhat - just like wetting a dry rock or shell intensifies the marks and colours briefly. You can experiment on a piece of your flooring first before making a decision. Good luck with the results - I too think your flooring has great potential.

I love no.1. The black wall and white floor draws my eye and it skims past all the soft white fittings. It creates a sense of space and flow. It has continuity. In no.2 my eye hits the dark floor then gets distracted by the white loo and two coloured vanity. That's where it stops. No. 3 is my least favourite. In no.3, the white wall is harsh and draws attention from the rest of the bathroom. It gives me a sense of harsh disjointedness.

So far......These are the light grey tiles around the pool. The coping of the pool is done with light grey Marble, and we got mosaics on outside around the spa - Still not finished yet.... Tilers are here today working :)) Hopefully hould be finished soon!

siriuskey, Yes, the courtyard is open to the sky (no roof over it), I assume this is what you mean by double story. Ref. below photos, I would love to get this look, especially the first and last photo, where you can see family living space from the first floor. I can't achieve this in my plan as it eats a lot of floor space upstairs. The referred plan (photos) has a very big void combining staircase, hallway and dining area. I know it is not easy with cooling and heating when you have such a big void. So, I explored a few ideas (with my limited knowledge on this topic) before achieving the current floorplan. I have also thought about, in my current plan, extending the void on the staircase to the dining area (it is more like L shape) but i wasn't sure if that makes any difference. keen to hear your thoughts.