What you are referring to is proper "parquetry" and the labour is generally costly as it requires more attention to detail and is more time consuming... you may be able to manage cost depending on your choice of timber (note parquetry now also comes in engineered timber which can be a bit less) but the labour will be costly regardless... my google search of "parquetry flooring Sydney" came up with a few results so hopefully you can find someone there after a few enquiries... good luck! :)

Our last house and our current house both had wood floors and lots of wood furniture. Using area rugs (I've got a weakness for oriental rugs) provides separation between the floors and the furniture. And if the walls are light, as in LesleyH's photo above, you will certainly not feel overwhelmed with wood. The only time there's an issue in my mind is when the walls are also wood clad - that can be a bit confronting and needs management.

What natural light do you get in the room/what orientation? i.e. is it a 'cold' or 'warm' room? If it's a colder room, I'd go with a grey with orange/red undertones to warm it up a bit, or if it's a warm room you could get away with a cooler grey, maybe green undertones to compliment the maroon. Or you could even try a green rather than grey. The Aerobus is a blueish grey so will be cooler. As others have said you would probably want a lighter tone than this for the walls (unless you're purposely going for a dark dramatic mood). 'Miller Mood' is a couple of shades up in the Colour Atlas. Get sample pots and paint a section on each wall, or paint a white bit of card and stick to the wall to see how the light is at different times of day.

Haha Siriuskey! Twins are just fascinating :) Yes you are right about the smoky sapelle, but its quite dark (for me anyway!) Here is a link to the light colour that is very similar to Blackbutt https://www.quick-step.com.au/en-au/laminate/impressive-ultra/imu1847_classic-oak-beige?uf_FloorType=flooring_floortype/005_qs_laminate&uf_Thickness=120 Dark colour https://www.quick-step.co.uk/en-gb/laminate/majestic/mj3548_woodland-oak-brown Or really dark! https://www.quick-step.com.au/en-au/laminate/impressive-ultra/imu1849_classic-oak-brown?uf_FloorType=flooring_floortype/005_qs_laminate&uf_Thickness=120 PS This will open on to a Blackbutt deck at rear (which I will probably stain to match if I use a darker colour inside)