I completely love the twirly bits, and the window trim. It's unique, special and shows the family within has a sort of fun spirit. If you would be more comfortable with a cottage that looks more "regular", then take it off. But please don't! For some color and inspiration, google French provencal fabric images. I can completely see a little black metal bistro table and wood slat back chairs on your porch with a cloth of one of those fabrics. I would paint it a light dusky blue, with white trim and mid-charcoal accents around the windows and the corner pieces on the front porch. Although the yellow with the blue would be quite right too! The front walk looks to be in good condition. You can do a stone overlay on that, letting a small portion of the stones hang over the straight edge, to give it a little more rustic look. It looks like you have a good collection of Queen of the Nile lilies (guessing here). Were they blue on blooming? You can create some slightly larger and curving beds in the front, and transplant some within it. I would add lavender and rosemary in a mix with those. For some grey and texture, put some lambs ears (a perennial) along the outside edge. Check your local growing zone to see what will thrive in your area! Lucky you. What a find!

Have done a bit of research for you, although some of these pendants are a mixture of materials they are all the same shape and have wood features. Hope this helps. http://www.noozi.co.nz/lighting/pendant-lights/concrete-duke-pendant-grey.html Below is the reverse of the above however featuring white not grey, http://wwworthy.co.nz/homeware/#!/item/urbanhome.co.nz_01549 Below is more of a similar shape to the one you are after, however the bulb is exposed with a glass finish so may not have enough wood feature? http://wwworthy.co.nz/homeware/#!/item/alexandcorban.co.nz_7337310081 Below we have sourced a full wood pendant however shape is more rounded. http://www.mrralph.co.nz/shop/product/50474/Wooden-Look-Pendant-Large-Madame-StoltzTREND/ This one below will have to be shipped but it offers a different shape, had wood half glass. http://www.jdlighting.com.au/collections/timber-and-wooden-pendant-lights/products/telbix-jacky-clear-glass-oak-style-pendant-light Hope this helps, if you are ever needing help with kitchen designs or anything please give us a call! :) 03 423 9067

thanks to everyone for your helpful comments! I was going to have to pay around $190 for 6 more, but will order them from Beaumont who have a 25% sale on at the moment. I agree that I need to just live with the cost and finish the job properly, but your shortcut suggestions were all really interesting and much appreciated. And archimondo, I'd say it's like having a kangaroo loose in the top paddock.

Rendering a house is an irreversible change, and FYI the spelling of my name is Eastern European - I'm named after my great grandmother, who was Polish and whose name was also spelled that way, so no, my spelling has not been modernised. How insular of you to assume it was. And even if it had been, I didn't choose my name - my parents did, as most people's parents did. You may not understand the heritage value of the midcentury, but that's exactly my point - in the 60s and 70s, no one understood Victorian and Edwardian houses had heritage value, so they vandalised them. These days, people like you don't understand the heritage value of the midcentury, so they rip it down or vandalise it. You're repeating history and you don't even know it.