I see this is a very old thread , with lots of comments . I've just skim read them , but I haven't seen anyone suggest anything like my 'top-of-my-head' idea -- I love the wood , and the white contrast , but pretty boring . Whats your favourite colour , or what ties in with the other rooms ? It might be blue or red or yellow or orange or green , as examples . So paint the skirting board and around the door a pastel shade of your choice , and add a small 30cm x 30cm abstract painting featuring that colour as the primary dominant one , above ( or possibly below , or maybe even get 2 matching/complementary ones ) the control panel . One lighting crowd suggested glass shades -- I'd actually go for someothing large but wooden , in much the same shade as your floors and steps , with LED bulbs -- you can get some stunning ones around 80-100 cm in diameter ( sort of a star ball shape ) for $300-400 . Total budget then $500 plus a painter and maybe electrician , unless you DIY .

Thanks to nickybaruch I am now considering doing the floor (which is now sanded back ready for finishing off) with white liming with a slight tint colour in it. Some say you have to be very careful when liming. Is this a problem? I would have thought it would be just like putting on a stain? Anyway doing it that way we would still see the grain of the timber floor which would be lighter than the dark cedar it was before and keeping the pine lined ceiling with the cedar coloured beams will blend in well I think with the lighter timber floor and the white walls we now have. What do you think?

Hello, Staining timber floors after floor sanding can be a tricky job. As someone has suggested, it is best to do some tests on the boards that you have. The floor sanding company that you choose should be able to do some stain samples for you if you give them the boards to experiment on. Feast Watson is a good product, but you will probably find that best stain colour for your timber floor is a blend of a couple of colours. Perhaps a blend of walnut and another colour . It really comes down to personal taste. Some contrast to other timber furniture is a good idea. Take a look at our Budget Floor Sanding Brisbane blog page for some more floor sanding information. Type "staining"into the search box, the second floor sanding blog has a couple of photos of a new timber pine floor( light colored similar to Baltic pine ) that we stained with Feast Watson prooftint, to blend in with a older floor. Hope this helps. All the best with your timber floor restoration. http://budgetfloorsanding.com.au/

Eric, is it the red colour you don't particularly like? Which timbers do you like most? Have you seen spotted gum? I mention it because the colour tones in spotted gum vary and it might possibly be worth consideration. I realise many consider having the same timber flooring throughout the house as ideal; however, as your bedrooms have doors, I believe it would be perfectly acceptable to have a different timber flooring in them (be consistent here though). If this were my Dilemna, I would match the timber width to the width of your red gum flooring, and use a top-notch installer, someone with whom you can discuss the best way to lay the planks given your other flooring.