If you are seeking a truly open feel to the floor plan you have shared, then using one material in the mail living area is the best approach to making this space feel truly open. Using a variety of materials on flooring chops up the space and decreases the visual footprint. I would suggest using wood, tile, or if you are on a tight budget laminated flooring for the living/dining/kitchen. Then use carpet in the more intimate spaces; bedrooms and possibly hallway. Save the tile for the bathrooms.

Lighting - pendants over the servery bench should be another feature that complements your chosen kitchen surfaces. So whilst I love the copper pendants in picture 1.. They could work depending on the rest of your decor and would be a highlight in a neutral white/timber kitchen = Good! If you choose copper you would complement it with a couple of copper bench top items. These are beautiful! (I collect copper because I love it, my kitchen pendants are silver, I renovated to sell in the next 3-5 years) You will see a picture starting to form in your mind and there is nothing wrong with making a statement with your lighting. I found that when I wasn't sure I would get a very strong sense of what was right and what was wrong for a space, then common sense or passion would determine the outcome! Here are another couple that might work, look her on Houzz under lighting, search pendants, then have fun looking!Timber tones with black or white to complement your cabinets... or Statement white pendants for a bit of quirky fun! Your personality can be reflected in your lighting and accessories creating that point of difference from the predictable white on timber look. Plus don't forget the power of greenery to punctuate the theme!

Beauty and practicality; Mmmmmm ..... When it is something that you love .... real wooden floors. Now vinyl just gets dirty , Ply looses it functionality, real wood however gains a patina. You want that. People pay thousands of dollars for that. Go with the most genuine example that you can afford of what you love. Factor in your budget and add to it, an area at a time and be pleased that your life gives character to it every day. By analogy; A mahogany french polished table will just give you a nervous break down every time someone doesn't use a coaster ... a hardwood table can be replenished over and over with hard wearing protective surface .... which you can repair. If you love it, if it adds genuine warmth and character, you won't mind maintenance. You won't be saying ...." look at this floor , isn't it amazing? It looks just like the real thing?"

We are about to lay new carpet and before we do I want to tidy up the exposed beams in our lounge and master bedroom - see pictures below. I understand the vertical round beams are pine and the horizontal is macrocarpa. The vertical beams are in particularly bad shape - lots of pain marks, cracks, nail holes etc. I have been told by a number of builders the process is likely to be very laborious - I have the time but I am a complete novice. I would like to sand both beams back and stain them a matching natural medium toned colour - at the moment the tone of each looks quite different. They don't need to be perfect I just want them to look tidier than they currently are. Can anyone recommend what tools I might use for the vertical and horizontal beams to speed up the process? Any tips on materials, process to follow? And how I might fill in the numerous gaps in the vertical beams?