Hi sll113, I'm currently looking at this brand of flooring for our place. I'd be really grateful if you could provide an update on how your floor is holding up 3.5 years on.

Hi Maria, we love the wood but it is a little overwhelming in that space with the timber floor. A liming white is a great idea as mentioned by a few people here. This will let you have the best of both worlds, a lighter, brighter finish while still allowing the wood grain to show through. You could try Feast Watson Liming White Floor Finish (yes, it's not a floor but it has the size of a floor!) and build up the number of coats until you are happy with the amount of timber grain showing through. You'll probably need to give it a light sand first as it's most likely already got some type of coating on it. The other option would be to leave the walls as is and consider a large, light neutral coloured rug as pompom suggested on the timber floor and perhaps a good sized piece of art on the wall or white wall shelving instead of the dark side unit you have to reduce the amount of timber in the room.

I'll have the same dilemma when I eventually move. The first thing that I will be doing is buying some large, neutral coloured rugs, probably jute or sisal (or similar), to help juxtapose the light timber floors with the dark timber furniture. I think having a "break" between the two timber styles/colours is a good idea. I'll personally be aiming for some kind of combined Japanese and Scandinavian interior design. Here are a few photos which I'm intended on referencing to create an aethestically pleasing space with my existing furniture (until I can afford to replace it over time): [https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/home-design-the-azumi-asian-living-room-perth-phvw-vp~12023403[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/home-design-the-azumi-asian-living-room-perth-phvw-vp~12023403) [https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/home-design-the-azumi-asian-living-room-perth-phvw-vp~12023627[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/home-design-the-azumi-asian-living-room-perth-phvw-vp~12023627) [https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/home-design-the-azumi-asian-family-room-perth-phvw-vp~12023359[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/home-design-the-azumi-asian-family-room-perth-phvw-vp~12023359) [https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/home-design-the-azumi-asian-entry-perth-phvw-vp~12023440[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/home-design-the-azumi-asian-entry-perth-phvw-vp~12023440) [https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/wheelers-hill-project-contemporary-dining-room-melbourne-phvw-vp~15173340[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/wheelers-hill-project-contemporary-dining-room-melbourne-phvw-vp~15173340) [https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/wheelers-hill-project-contemporary-dining-room-melbourne-phvw-vp~15173334[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/wheelers-hill-project-contemporary-dining-room-melbourne-phvw-vp~15173334) [https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/vaucluse-residence-i-contemporary-living-room-sydney-phvw-vp~10839233[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/vaucluse-residence-i-contemporary-living-room-sydney-phvw-vp~10839233) [https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/the-boulevard-contemporary-dining-room-melbourne-phvw-vp~3024359[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/the-boulevard-contemporary-dining-room-melbourne-phvw-vp~3024359) Good luck. I'd like to see what you eventually do.

I used to have tiled floors at the old place ..the whole downstairs was tiled ( lounge, study, living room , kitchen, laundry) terracotta ones..not cold at all contrary to what people think .. the kids loved riding their trikes around the house as it was massive open living space 36 squares in all. we had a wool rug where the living area was so kids can lounge around.. I find tiles are easier to maintain than floor boards.A quick vacuum and mop is all it needed and it hid the dirt well..whereas floor boards collects dust and hair etc.. Timber floorboards are nice to look at..the floating /laminate looks cheap and nasty I'd rather tiles instead.