Hi there, I think it's a great idea to introduce some feature lighting here. The chairs are making quite a statement against all the white and it would be lovely to balance that a little with lighting. As you have a lot of white and also rectilinear shapes, I'd lean towards organic shapes and materials for your lights. You could consider having more than one pendant light and create either a cluster, a row of 3, or else a long light. Here's some ideas.

I can understand the frustration at the thought of obscuring the sliding doors. To avoid that you might consider a pair of sofas that face each other. (Like in the picture attached) This position looks very welcoming as it invites the seated people to face each other for conversation. It does mean for viewing the tv on the 'blank wall' you won't be in the most comfortable position, so I suspect you'll need to compromise somewhere... Access to the door against tv viewing.

Spotted Gum is a great hard wearing timber with a Janka rating of 11. This means it is high density timber and won't dent as easily as softer timbers like American Oak. A polyurethane finish is the hardest and most durable timber floor coating and it comes in gloss satin and mat. The lower sheen's are more forgiving if you you have pets and young children. Bamboo is another hard product but only comes in short lengths so you would need to take that look into consideration when selecting. Some clients don't like the look of the short boards and consider it a cheap look. Others prefer the longer floor boards of timber. If you do choose bamboo make sure that you find out the coating used and whether it can be sanded and re coated down the track, as all timber and bamboo floors will need a touch up especially if you have pets. Some bamboo floors can not be sanded due the coating used. Hope this helps. Our website may offer some inspiration. Good Luck http://budgetfloorsanding.com.au/

Hi Jenny, es, you can buy Sea Salt to grind. I had trouble with my grinder clogging up and complained at the store I bought it from. They said Rock Salt sweats and the moisture damages the grinder. I've used Sea Salt since and never had any more trouble. All the best.