My parents' old house had a wonderful oak front staircase that my six siblings and I used to race up and down, taking them two or three at a time, with only a casual hold on the railing. I don't know how we managed to never slip or fall. Now, the timber backstairs were steep, and had narrow treads and were poorly lit. We NEVER ran up or down them, but held tightly to the railing and hoped to heck we managed to stay upright. As an adult, my previous home had carpeted stairs, which I slipped on (wearing socks) and fell down twice, though thankfully I was closer to the bottom than the top. My current home has timber stairs with three narrow stainless steel runners stood on edge and inset horizontally across the front of each tread (this is supposed to help reduce risk of slips). I doubt I will get over the anxiety of taking another tumble, so I never go down them wearing socks, and if barefoot, I hold onto the railing for dear life and take it nice and slow. So far so good.

When my own home was rebuilt in Christchurch I used wood vinyl flooring in Rimu colour. It works fantastically in any wet areas like bathrooms and kitchen and laundry (washing machine overflows! No problem). It looks so real and wears extremely well. The colours you can get are amazing and it clicks together. I currently also work in the flooring section of a home improvement store and having looked at how the different engineered floors are made and wood laminates and bamboos, I would say that if you dont have the money to spend at the highest level of engineered timber dont go for the cheapest. The wood grain is printed on and any moisture will kill that floor. Bamboo is a great option as it solid banboo. The engineered has a 3mm or so layer of the actual timber. It can be re-sanded lightly if it scratches. Personally I would go with the wood vinyl planking again. Looks fantastic.

Spotted gum for sure, merbau is blar... no grain or aesthetic appeal whatsoever. You have to use a stain so it does not fade but make sure you don't buy it at Bunnings because they do not stock any product that is worth putting on any timber. The two decks are Organoil in red stain and the railing on them is livos Alis in light teak. I use the livos on my own timber work but it is expensive. All this timber has been in the full elements for well over 10 years.

Floss, there’s nothing wrong with your floor. Be confident it was not a bad decision. Hamptons style will look fantastic in your lovely, character filled home. But sorting your likes and dislikes into what’s consistent with the theme, and what’s not, will help minimise potential mismatches or poor choices. It will also help sort out whether your taste actually aligns more with Hamptons or a more modern style (like your pivot front door, for instance). If it leans to more modern, you may have to compromise on a look that will suit not fight with the architectural style of your home. Then, as others have said, take an overall and consistent approach. Otherwise you risk making changes in one room that wont be fit for purpose when you move on to the next room. The re-work (or re-purchasing of different furniture) could get very expensive, not to mention very stressful on both of you. All the very best with your project. It’s gonna be a top looking home. Don’t forget to share progress and the end result with us. :-)