Your house is going to blend in very well with it's surrounds once the timber has silvered off, if you choose to use colours like Colorbond Woodland Grey, Dulux "Pavings Stone" (left hand side of colour swatch in the image far below) and/or Dulux "Grey Mountain". Other darker colours that will work well in this setting include Dulux "Cambridge Hall" and Dulux "Nomadji" (mentioned before). These greys don't necessarily blend in with the fresh timber but look fantastic as the timber ages and the building is seen as a whole (see image far below). "Paving Stone" is a versatile medium, warm grey that looks really good as a render. It also works well as a neutral internal wall colour in rooms with lots of natural light. In the following image, Dulux "Grey Mountain" was used near the timber work and "Woodland Grey" on the garage walls to help the garage door become less noticeable. Remember that colours generally appear lighter than the sample when applied to external walls and darker when applied to internal walls.

Hi Sophia, I think a dark grey with a hint of mauve would look spectacular and keep the whole home looking cool. What's more, when your garden and trees grow, the greens will complement the colour. Then a touch of red in plantings of kangaroo paw, bottle brush or hibiscus or even a flame tree would make the neighbours applaud your colour choices for sure. Check out Dulux's Colour Wall palette under Greys for tones like Yarwood, Otto's Boy and Babbler http://www.dulux.com.au/colour/colour-wall

Hi Sarah I absolutely think what you have suggested is perfect. I love Paperbark for the mouldings and the double strength for render. The brick you chose is awesome. I think you've got it sorted. How exciting! All the best. Regards Lisa PS. I love the elevation.

Thank you so much everyone for your great ideas, advice and uploads. I've decided on glass for pool fencing, Dune for render colour, but still undecided about front balustrade and handrails. While I love the idea of stainless steel, I'm still not confident that a modern look will suit the front facade. I keep coming back to the classic look in Lesley's pic but wonder whether white powder coating is the way to go or whether it would be too busy for my facade as I have stairs/handrails to consider. Still pondering over too many choices!