I like the bleached teak too but not with the paint colour particularly the one for the skirting as it has quite a green undertone to it, does that mean all the internal doors and trims are that colour too?... the wall colour isn't that bad and the bleached teak would work well with it, but I would seriously reconsider painting all skirting, trims and doors white... don't worry, I know all about variations as we're building too this year, and I think this one could well be worth it... not sure how far ahead you are with your build, but if the builder hasn't already ordered the paint then you should be able to change the colour as there is no cost differential in the product itself (same prime cost item), there may be a small admin fee which should be minimal given that they are already raising a variation for the floors

For what it's worth we have a cottage with one hundred years old timber floors – mainly not tongue and groove just beautiful boards that we pulled up, re-trimmed and relaid. The boards are just beautiful – and they are probably mainly spotted gum as we live amongst them and when the cottage was built they would have used the timber from the local mill. We chose a satin finish for them and they just glow – everyone who walks in exclaims about how lovely they are. When we built a modern extension a couple of years ago we were lucky enough to find some more old (maybe 60-70 years) floor boards that came out of an old shed that was being demolished – they looked beyond retrieval but they were lovely big, heavy boards so they had plenty of meat on them so once they had been re-trimmed and thicknessed they have been finished with the same satin finish and also look amazing. I love that they look like timber (once part of a tree, a living, growing, imperfect but wonderful organism) rather than looking timber-like.

Yes, it does come down to personal taste, but the overall look of your initial kitchen that has the concrete look tiles is beautiful. It would appeal to a wider audience too I think than the navy blue. If you concrete look tiles looked like those in the picture it would look great (as compared to a more matt look concrete tile which may not look as good). I say no to the herringbone look timber in your whole place downstairs. It will probably cost more to lay and I think it adds complexity that you don't need in a home as beautiful as an old queenslander. If you do decide on timber, I would stick with it being just straight planks. (Herringbone is flavour of the month now and I love it for tiles, but it makes a very big statement that not appeal to everyone if you are putting it in a much bigger area like kitchen etc). Good luck.

I'm always surprised whenever I read discussion threads on the pros/cons of timber vs engineered or timber-look products is that I seem to be the only one who cares about the sound, not just the aesthetics. I grew up in very old houses and for me, that sound as you walk along a real timber floor is majestic and cannot be replicated by other products that to, seem to all sound like fingernails on a black board in comparison (okay not really, but it evokes the same reaction in me as does walking on lino). So, for that awesome sound of "real" timber and for longevity's sake, authenticity's sake, and all the reasons above I say option 2. Of course, budget is also important and I totally understand the width argument too.