Is it scratched or damaged? How old is the house? Are all the rest of the floors in adjoining rooms the same?

What is it about it that makes you want to pull it up? Personally I wouldn't, it could be really beautiful refinished, and it can always be toned down with rugs in your chosen light shades.

I agree, unless there is a problem with it...

refinish and stain in a less cherry tone.

Refinish!

If you want tile, that's what you should go with.

I love wood floors, but not parquet so I'd replace it.

Thank you for all the great comments. It is throughout the living area, lounge, TV room, dining room, passage and entrance. I have checked with suppliers and a refinish will only take it 2 shades lighter. Rugs are a great idea but the big ones come with the added cleaning hassle of having to clean both the floor and the rug. In my mind tiles are just easier to maintain and clean. Having said that I don't want to pull it up and regret it. If I can get it to work with my overall decor and manage the maintenance then I will make it work. Currently, it makes the area very dark, I thought lightening the floor would give the whole area a lift.

I think lightening the floor, even a couple of shades would make a huge difference. I would be concerned that tile might not work well with your furniture/decor style.

Tile is cold, hard and the grout can be more cleaning hassles than wood can be. I vote for the lovely wood.

Leave the wood and refinish in a lighter shade. Heart pine darkens when exposed to sunlight so keep that in mind when choosing the stain

I think the wood gives your room a warmer feel than tile will. I agree with everyone who suggested refinishing/lightening the existing floor. We had a 1930s house with parquet…it grew on me!

If you wanted to dress it up you could do thick/thin contrasting inlay wood strips as borders around the rooms. We had that and it really gave the flooring a rich, quality look.