It is hard to know without images, but my feeling would be that if you have a beautiful table that you want to be the star of the show, you will want to make the rest of the room as subtle as possible. Id steer clear of similar materials. Art galleries are painted all white so that the artwork is displayed without competition from the rest of the building. The choice of material for your bench top might well take on a similar strategy.

We have been a supplier of OSMO Hardwax Oils for a while now and have found that they have been great in all applications. They have an Oil specifically designed for Kitchen benchtops. OSMO Top Oil which is foodsafe and contains linseed, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, sunflower oil, soybean oil & thistle oil. You can buy it from VCS Products in Perth or Natural Timber Oils in Melbourne.

Let's keep it nice, I don't think EthanWes is as precious as you may think and it is a forum for personal opinions after all. I also thought the comeback was unnecessarily aggressive & unwarranted. I would keep whatever you put there quite subtle and simple in colour so it doesn't draw the eye. You've got a nice retro/scandi feel from the look of it, see it as another way to carry this through?! So some ideas: - a small succulent in a low 1-2" pot, possibly including a trailing one such as Silver Falls (though don't let it get too out of hand!), will help make it look less compartmenty. Or even Ikea http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/40349079/ - a couple of neutral coloured cookbooks stacked horizontally. - a nice low serving dish in a soft grey - but make it one you will actually use, not just for aesthetics! ; D I have a similar one to this https://www.countryroad.com.au/shop/home/kitchen-and-dining/serving/60209668/Tiro-Salad-Bowl.html https://www.countryroad.com.au/shop/home/kitchen-and-dining/serving/60203911-9084/Tapas-Salad-Bowl.html and use it a lot. - or, if you like your tech, it could be a great place for a small wireless speaker. Expensive example, but something like the Bose Soundlink Mini If you're looking for more ideas, 'open shelving' should provide lots though you are constrained with the very low height of the shelves.

If you are after a durable and stable timber floor then Spotted Gum is superior to an engineered floor. But there are many others like Turpentine, Blackbutt, Brush Box, Mahogany to name a few. Having said that the installation process for both are completely different. The longest lasting timber flooring system is Australian Hardwoods installed over Hardwood Battens. Having been in timber flooring in Sydney for over 57 years our experience with trying different products always brings us back to Australian Hardwoods. Selecting a grade of timber does not translate into colours it is merely the quality of the timber board ie in the imperfections of nature - Select Grade has less gum vein and grub marks than say Standard Grade - however if you choose a commercial named grade then you get whatever the suppliers offers in their own grading. Oh and by the way be aware that many imported products are products with Formaldehyde which is toxic. But I agree with Paul if you are after uniformity then you need to go with an engineered product, the beauty of hardwoods lies in the variation so that no two timber floors will be exactly the same. Hope this helps a little more - being a tradesman we do not necessarily base our choices on colours but rather performance of the timbers which varies from species to species.