Honestly, cladding the house in grey because it is trendy right now is only going to date your renovations and is not going to do anything special to the house. What is the finish on the house now? I'm assuming you are cladding to save on maintenance which is very wise, but if you paint the windows you are only going to start another maintenance issue. The finish on them now has been designed to last - paint won't. I also note you have brown posts on the verandas, brown/cream tiles on the ground and a cream fence - this all has to be taken into consideration if you want to change to a grey palette and achieve something really special. It has to be a total package. Unfortunately, colours do not reproduce on computer screens so there is no point in me suggesting colours, but I would call in a cladding specialist or 3, they are used to doing this type of work and generally know what the finished result will look like to advise you. They should be able to suggest colours that will blend better with the browns and creams but still give the house a more individual and timeless look. If you are still not sure, put the photos of your house onto a Paint Company's website and paint it in a similar colour. To me though, this house really needs some softening, I think a bit of a cottage look will make it look much more warmer and welcoming. It is just not blending in with its environment. Work on your landscaping - look on Houzz for some ideas for a front path to lift your home out of the ordinary, you don't have to spend a fortune, just be creative, change the hand railing, maybe even fence the veranda or grow a hedge in front of it and screen one (or both) ends of it to give you some privacy to sit out there, Perhaps grow a creeper across under the guttering to really soften the front of the house and make the veranda more welcoming. Beautiful, well kept lawns and gardens and some special outdoor areas in your back garden will really enhance the house so the brown windows will cease to become an issue.

As you've probably figured out, overheating in buildings is cause by solar gain - ie, direct radiation from the sun coming in through the windows. There's a few options to reduce that. You can get adhesive tint film that you can put on the windows. That will reduce the solar gain slightly. Most likely, the glass roof is where much of the sun is coming in. A retractable awning or shade sail might do the trick by reducing the amount of direct sun coming in. The advantage of this options is you could remove the awning during winter when you're not getting so much sun. You might also look at some kind of louvres or horizontal slats on the outside to create some shading, which would reduce the amount of sun coming in. Basically, you want to put something in place to block direct sunlight while still allowing natural light and your view to outside.

I think during the day, you might mostly have blinds raised, allowing sheers to show, which from outside will look fine. In the evening, you will likely have blinds down for privacy so I don't think it matters so much. Function before aesthetic. Having said that, speak to a few blind companies and find out the best way to install (inside window frame or outside) so that the look from outside is seamless when blinds are down. I'm thinking if installed just a bit beyond the frame width, no gaps at sides of blinds will show.

As someone who bought a brick house recently, a major reason for the decision was the low maintenance of unpainted brick. So, no, don't paint the brick! The facade above the brick looks heavy and dominating because it is so bright white and all one colour. Why not go for a more retro look, break up the solidity of the overhanging facade by painting the vertical trims a different colour? Pick a colour that compliments the brick and keep in mind that colours were more adventurous in the 70s. Embrace the fun of the beach and the retro look without going overboard. Leave the brick as is, paint window trims to contrast and catch the light., maybe add shutters in the same colour to make windows look bigger and add more to catch the eye under the eaves. And paint the front door a fun, bright colour. Citrus colours catch the light and pop, but check they don't clash with the colour of the brick. You need contrast and brightness. Our blonde brick house was built in 1960. We painted the front door, the awning over our sliding doors and our garage door all the same colour: bright citrus orange (the garage door has 2 horizontal white stripes). The result was an instant uplift. We then had the roof restored and painted a terracotta colour (concrete tiles) and cleaned the eaves. The house looks fresh as a daisy and so much more attractive. The paint cost about $100, and the roof cost $6000. Money well spent! Then we worked on the gardens. We took out tall plants close to the house and replanted the gardens with more attractive flowering plants, going for colour. It all looks much more inviting now.