We have received an amazing deal on charcoal coloured stone tiles - which we have used in the kitchen and the breakfast bar/informal dining area (along with some Moroccan tiles). I've loaded some images so you can see how the space opens up into an plan living room and sunken dining room to the left. The 2 rooms will be separated by a floor to ceiling book and display shelf. We knocked this wall down (and an opening from the kitchen to the dining room) to let in more light and create the sense of more space.

The dining room will be receiving the same charcoal stone tiles, and this is where we will create a single tile - 1 tile in - border with off white and black Moroccan tiles. So this is my last question - what do we floor the living room with? We are torn between continuing with the stone tiles for continuity, but we're worried it may make the whole space quite dark. Of course, light coloured furniture and a large neutral/oatmeal/biscuit coloured rug in the centre of the room can easily add a degree of lightness to the space. Or do we put down wooden flooring? Here in South Africa, wooden floors are very, very expensive, so it will have to be oak coloured tiles, or Traviloc/vinyl floors. My primary concern is creating the sense of cutting this open plan area in half with the change of flooring material. Our aim is to keep the walls light and most likely an off white colour, with some splashes of colour here and there achieved with signature furniture pieces