I agree with havingfun, thicken the supports and have something growing trailing up them. I didn't even notice there was a pergola until the close up. Right now it blends in too well with the house color, consider painting it a different color. I don't know your usda zone but classic climbers for a pergola include clematis, wisteria, grape https://www.houzz.com/photos/santa-ynez-valley-mediterranean-porch-santa-barbara-phvw-vp~2485412 or go for a modern look You can also hang string lights, planters or something from the beams. Also agree lighten the front door.

I have not heard anything bad about having doors that open from any direction of the house and as you have not confirmed which country you live in I can not even predict where the worst of the winds would come from. I live in NZ and my front door faces North West. Where I live that is the worst / strongest winds that we have so the only negative for me is on a story day I might be blown down the steps or the rain might soak me as I try to unlock the door. I have simply eliminated what I can by adding a glass roof above my front deck. My back door faces south east and again the weather was and is the only problem so I enclosed this area with a porch which allows me to have the door open most days, almost all year round. NZ's bad weather comes from the south and the sun is in the North. If you are also in a similar location / southern hemisphere then your plan shows me your house is perfectly positioned for the best of the sun. I think you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Don't listen to negative comments make the most of what you have and if you need to make small adjustments for wind, rain or too much sun. ENJOY YOURSELF AND YOUR NEW HOME.

We have very similar narrow side gardens. Judging from your picture, I'm guessing that you get more sun on the left. So, close to the door you could have pots of varying sizes and similar colour with dark leaf cannas and contrasting agaves potted, which won't overtake your garden because of the pot restriction. On the shade side, I'd plant ferns at intervals with clivia inbetween. You could also put up some chicken wire on the fence and train jasmine. On the sunny side, cordyline show-off, vireya rhodos, hibiscus (beautiful varieties) and bromeliads for groundcover. Good luck and have fun.

Hi Rachael, Your asymmetrical house form is a very strong visual element and sits very well in this bold and rugged landscape. On the other side of the house from the entry door, the windows and doors are grouped and aligned to create a secondary relationship between them, which pleases the eye and works within the strong form. On the side with the entrance door, this doesn't happen. The scattered size and positioning of the woodstore, windows and doors do not work together to lead the eye to any particular place, nor do they relate to the form of the house. As a starting point, something to draw the eye to the entrance to invite people in will create a secondary focus. Because the house is a very strong form, you want to work with it or complement it, not try to create something that tries to outdo it. You also want something large enough to provide shelter both to keep people from the weather and to make it seem visually welcoming. You have a few materials already in this building, timber and stone, that you can use that will provide a contrast to the corrugate wall but will also make connections with the other parts of the building, and make the shelter become part of the whole rather than look like an afterthought. I would look at creating a porch form with enough visual strength to draw the eye and also try to tie in a few other elements to reduce the scattered look.