Hi ritevibe, It seems that many of your worries are to do with the ongoing maintenance and wear that will inevitably come from renting your property out. Timber would quite obviously look amazing in your space, though the damage and maintenance could be restrictive. Have you investigated timber look 'parquet' tiles? Being porcelain, you are not going to find anything more durable and long lasting. It is definitely worth a look at what's available in this material, I will attach some images for your reference and a link to give you a starting point. (http://www.houzz.com.au/projects/683682/par-ker-timber-parquet-porcelain-tiles) In such an environment, I think cost effectiveness would probably be better understood over the life of the floor, as vinyls and floorboards are going to require significant amounts of maintenance, are going to cop a bit of a beating and are not going to last as long as tile. If you want more info I am happy to help out, Best of luck!

Cloudyhaze....I think all of the options look good, but it just depends on the look you personally wish to have for your house, because painting the ceiling white will COMPLETELY change the look. My sister has just bought a place that had brick walls and exposed ceilings that had the beams painted mission brown and the ceiling was in some form of raw chipboard type material. She wanted to brighten the place up before she moved in and got it all painted white. It looks beautiful, but I personally would have thought of other options before painting the brick etc. She got a quote for plastering (sheeting) the sections in between the exposed ceiling beams and it was a lot more expensive than painting. If you are keen to paint just the panelling in the ceiling, then I would get additional quotes. I am no painter but I would suspect if it has shellac on it, it will just need an initial sealer on it, before putting on the 2 coats of flat ceiling paint. I think all of the options will look beautiful, because the high ceilings are the feature.........it just depends on whether you are going for a more rustic look, mid-century look , more modern look...I am not sure of what all the designs are called. Good Luck. Your house is gorgeous. My sister lives on Gold Coast BTW.

I think that ceaserstone or marble would compete too much with your tiles and could look odd because of that. In the examples you provide, the one lot of marble stairs are with a very plain tile and the other looks like it matches the floor exactly. Your tiles have a bit of a swirly pattern so unless you chose a very plain stone/marble it would clash IMO. Also, ceasarstone can chip and I don't think it would be a very practical option for stairs. Timber would add a bit of warmth to your whole sleek look while still looking modern, and be something to tie your front door in with so it isn't the only warm looking thing in your whole light coloured area.

Always seek professional assistance. Be it a colour consultant, designer or a house painter. Always good to bounce your ideas around here as a lot of good advise is given, certainly if you're not sure of where to start. Have a chat to a local house painter, they're the best ones to give solid advice. Paint brands are usually pretty good, certainly the well known ones like Taubmans, Wattyl, Solver, Dulux. Trusted brands been around for decades. Colour consultants are good as they live and breath colour schemes. They can come up with colours to use that the rest of us wouldn't even think of. Terracotta roof is timeless and classic so you're certainly not limited.