Are they structural or decorative? If not structural it could be time to remove them and replaster a more contemporary ceiling. Or you could clad them in a gorgeous recycled timber to give them a more organic solid look. Easiest way would be to continue the charcoal paint to the beams... but lighten the feature wall to a complimentary steely gray. Some chunky timber shelves either side of the stonework with books, ornaments and lighter pictures with a pop of colour will soften it.

I'll be the weird one ( well , maybe along with differentways ) and say that I actually like the contrast of the darker beam with all the lighter ceiling and cabinets -- in my opinion , if you matched it to everything else , it would just look more of the same . Differentways said about Jap Black -- I'd possibly go a more 'solid' charcoal or similar , but yeah -- almost make a feature of it . By the way , I am from New Zealand , and we have houses called Lockwoods ( thats a brand name ) . Google them -- they've been around 50 or 60 years , it is really innovative where they make the entire house out of timber with an aluminium siding ( cover on one side ) that locks together and makes a super strong house , with minimal framing , and lots of wood on display . Oh , and they withstand hurricanes and the like . This place has some similar design elements , different construction , but google and see the Lockwood homes !

You see how horrible the green looks now ? Even the brown ? That was trendy in the 90's . Grey will go the same way , personally i feel it has . Wood is warm , the steel blue in one of the pictures is underutilised IMO , charcoal hides a multitude of sins . I'd definitely break a verandas look , with a charcoal base . I'd go with natural varnished timber verticals , and be tempted to do a lighter steel blue deck and handrails , as well as the gutters . I suspect the gutters won't even look out of place against the brown roof , as long as they look light and slightly industrial ( steel blue does that ) . You could even go as light as surfmist for the gutters / rails / deck without it looking 'funny' . The garage would be a challenge -- I'd personally try and get an orangy beige to reference the bricks , but that would be tricky . So probably settle for steel blue or surfmist or whatever shade of light silvery blue you opt for . I wonder how long your windows would last painted though -- given their age , I suspect they may have started to oxidise , even if they haven't , they would need a lot of prep . By keeping fairly light colours on your gutters . handrails etc , the windows maybe won't look too bad , as they look a relatively light golden shade . Personally , I'd consult an expert about the windows . Hopefully given you something to think about ?

Haha -- I've got you thinking ! Look at the pic you posted today , and the first thing you see is the timber . Its got a golden honey tone , its natural , it looks nice . You've enclosed the beam and thats noticable too . The white door is a couple of steps up from plain , and you notice that too . The house itself is still a grey box IMO . The only good thing you did ( again , just my opinion ) was that darker grey . But imagine if you ( or your builder ) got up and did 3 pieces of 150 wide timber ( varnished / stained ) around that upstairs veranda-y thing that pokes out above the upstairs window . And we've never seen the other side of the front of your place , but see if there is something there that would get a wooden surround -- balance the place a bit , add interest . It isn't even really colour , but it is a pleasant colour , its natural , it adds interest .