I, too, like the idea of the fence being painted in Monument, or something similar. You look like you live in either in the tropics or subtropics, judging by the photos. Apart from looking attractive, you also want to the plants to have low leaf drop, be fairly hardy, not have an invasive root system, be reasonably low maintenance and sun tolerant (the pool area looks very hot and sunny, and you didn't mention if the palms next door provide any shade during the day). Anyway, here is my 5 cents worth: native pigface "Aussie Rambler"; blue fescue; bromeliad Neoregelia sheba; philodendron Xandadu; sun-tolerant cordyline species; dwarf ixora; dwarf frangipani. Bambino bougs also look lovely near a pool. You'll be picking up the old bracts as they drop but they look so gorgeous its worth it. Touch of Class have recently introduced some beautiful new varieties of dwarf oleanders (we have "Isabella"). Oleanders have been given a really bad rap about their toxicity, and yes, they are poisonous, however, they have never caused a human fatality in Australia and are no more toxic than many other plants we put in our home gardens. Apparently, they are a more of a threat to livestock who seem to eat them despite their bitter taste. Having said that, I wouldn't use them if you have young children or pets that like to chew everything. You'll have noticed that most of the plants I have suggested are of the "dwarf" variety. This is so the plants don't become too big for the pool area, and to help keep maintenance down. A self-cleaning palm like the golden cane, foxtail or Alexander could provide some overhead shade, but only if they were planted at least 1.5m away from the pool (preferably more). I would also be mulching with stones to minimise it ending up in the pool on windy or rainy days. Although I love natives, I have not suggested them, other than the pigface, to keep maintenance and leaf drop to a minimum.

I too have a number of windows facing west, in Summer they are covered inside and out all the time. My fav are woven or bamboo blinds, they give good sun protection but still let air through. The all natural ones are recycled as weedmats in the garden beds when they get ratty.

Hi Louise, hope you are settled in your house now, it looks lovely. Having lived in a house with a west facing living area I'm sorry to say your rooms will get very hot over summer and even if you install air conditioning you will still need to minimise the sun and heat coming into the house to save on electricity. Stopping the sun reaching your rooms is the ideal but outdoor blinds can look ugly so ultimately it comes down to looks -v- comfort. Thermal blinds or curtains will help keep the sun and heat out considerably but they do darken a room as well. Fans will help with air circulation but you do need cross ventilation to help the house cool itself especially if you get breezes off the water. I think your bedroom would be enhanced by a covered deck to add some character to the house too and this would certainly help with the sun in that room. Another tip is the colours you use in these rooms will help improve the look and feel of the room, I found soft blues or aquas made a huge difference with a lot of white for freshness. Neutral colours for some reason just did nothing and made the rooms look and feel hotter.

love the idea of the very dark walls with a very dark floor and try complementing the opposite window coverings with your courtyard garden...subject to climate and sunlight, consider potted bamboos and azaleas with white roller blinds to look like shoiji screens for a Japanese look or plantation shutters with palms or Aussie natives with wooden venetians or ferns and sheers but always include the window furnishings to complete the outlook from your extension