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 mean WOW Joanne, what a view! I think no-one will be worried about the board direction, honestly, their eyes will be feasting on the horizon!! Obviously this is your personal decision at the end of the day, and the more I look at this design dilemma the more I think both options would work. However I would keep the boards the same dimension throughout. Imagine entering at the front door and moving down the corridor space into the living room - you want a seamless flow as the eyes look towards the outside, and once in the room you won't mind at all the direction of the boards. I assume you are selecting a tile for the alfresco terrace - just match the direction of the boards and you can't go wrong! The link below is from the TonguenGroove website, showing a project with a corner aspect to a water-facing deck with fully glazed doors - so both conditions! They both work, right?! The main orientation IS long boards parallel to the water though.....also attached a photo of a Nicholas Murray project from Mafi website with short boards across the hall......looks good.... Good Luck! ..http://www.tonguengrooveflooring.com.au/projects/ventnor-beach-house/.

I will be the loan naysayer and go: Vinyl Plank timber pattern tiles. I did these in my kitchen and they helped make the room. Used Karndean, but any European brand should be fine (avoid American and assume they are using American or worse if they don't say the country of origin). http://www.karndean.com/en-au/floors/landing-pages/new-looselay-longboard?gclid=CjwKCAjwspHaBRBFEiwA0eM3kQ7eEFPH5FlK2IwV3o7ZsbbmJ19srG0OM_tWK5dhPMNyDdwxGPUr4BoCoYcQAvD_BwE Caveats: Ground must be FLAT. 100% flat, ruler FLAT. If not you will have to level. If flat, you can lay them yourself. Our floor had to be levelled and it was tough. still got a few high patches and gaps because of that. However I have done it on a concrete surface myself since and it's beautiful. Benefits: Nice and soft on the foot. (less ankle pain) single tile replacement. Looks fantastic. No PVC glue fume issues and fairly resilient. Do be wary though of metal chair legs scraping the floor. Waterproof! when installed right with no gaps! (why I would choose them in a kitchen over timber or Eeek carpet!.... Yes previous owner installed shagpile carpet in the kitchen).

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.