Thank you so much for your comment after all this time. The colour you have suggested brightens the front door area beautifully and if the two red pots were painted in a tone to match, we think it would look great. Not sure if you can get Crestview doors in New Zealand but there must be something similar. We like the idea of going away from another cedar door - mainly because it would stand out too much while it was weathering. I don't know whether we would have been that brave but the tangerine works so well with the jade green of the joinery. I have re-laid all the stones and put a new wider front step in. The timber colour will soften down in time. I put a big pot in the garden to draw visitors to the front door and have added some colourful bromeliads to the garden alongside the house to make the area a bit more cheerful. We can't make a decision about what to do with a larger 'overhang' to protect the front porch yet - it is a project in progress. Thanks again for your post.

You must be in a tropical zone - I see palm trees .What zone are you in ? How long do you plan to live in this house and are you married to the grass ? How long and wide is the garden ? Can you make a shot from the fence toward the house ( house in center ) ?

The market is full of tropical/botanical art at the moment which lend themselves well to tropical or beachy looks. The look you are after calls for natural textures with a soft colour palette, think linen bedding and layer it up with throws and cushions for texture and pops of colour. In my opinion drapes are not a good option in your room as the ceiling slopes to just above your window at a certain point. This would dictate the height at which your drapes hang and, in this instance would be too low. To soften the windows, I would have a tall palm or Fiddle Leaf Fig tree in wicker basket. It also looks like you have the space for a chair.

A very simple layout keeping the floor space within the kitchen, the WIP takes up a lot of space with not much gain, The broom cupboard could be moved to the Laundry/entrance, narrow. If the wall has been bumped out to the eaves on the deck side giving an extra 300 depth to the kitchen you could make the island 2700 x 1200 and all drawers. The wall of narrow pantry will hold all pantry needs and more, no deep cupboards to dig into. cheers