I like the look of theTravertine paver colour 'Tuscany' as it will compliment both the house and the gambion wall. For plants, as suggested by Neryl Hollingsworth, camillias are evergreen and the flowers will add beautiful colour to the garden.

Hi Amy, Isn't it great! You can paint pebblecrete but my first thought is don't touch it. If you haven't already, pressure clean it to get the true colours. Personally, I'd lean towards the sandstone coloured paver unless there's an overwhelming of grey in your in the stone in your retaining wall (and because I love my high pressure hose, I'd give these a quick go over to check the colour too - what can I say - if I'm dragging the high pressure hose out to do one thing, do 'em all) - only because it's shady spot at some point during the day so the lighter sandstone will keep it light rather than feeling too shady (particularly in winter). Good luck - I'd love to see the end result.

What a great pool for starters. I do see your dilemma though. For the fence: I would give it a paint, choose a colour that ties your house in. Add laser cut screens or put in a vertical wall garden as you don't have a lot of room to have a row of pots. In saying that a few large pots around are great to add some interest and colour. Strelitzia's are great plants to use. Tough, can handle sun, lovely bright orange flowers. Certain sun loving bromeliads, great colours. Clumping palms are always a winner. Just watch yuccas, as previously suggested, as they are often spikey, with kids running around I would stick with softer foliage. Somewhere to sit is always important but again you don't seem to have a lot of space and you don't want to overcrowd the area. Perhaps a long bench seat along the far fence, include outdoor cushions and built in storage under seat for pool toys. A large umbrella in the corner for some shade. All of these can add colour while being practical. However I do like the idea of extending the back pool fence out to create more space, Bali hut here we come! This may not be an option.... Good luck, I'm sure with a bit of planning you can turn this into a beautiful space for everyone to enjoy.

You best invest in some proper design input for this one, it requires proper understanding around the regulations of safety barriers. It's not just the access doors from the house, it's anything that's open to the pool like climbing zones to boundary fences and side gates etc that need to be compliant. Safety is No. 1 priority on these things. There's no leniency, it's black & white. It's a pool owner's responsibility to have it fully compliant with latest standards regardless of how long ago it was built so best have a professional be dealing with all this, and best that it is negotiated and managed within the resolution of a design solution, so the outdoor space simultaneously looks great, functions well, adds appropriate value to the home and most importantly is safe. Best of luck PD www.pauldistefanodesign.com