I don't want any of those options, I would like beautiful sitting room with plush furniture, classical French inspired (not baroque), I would like a climate controlled glass house to match with orchids and all other exotic plants. A beautiful garden with flowers and fruit trees and a cleaner and a handyman to help me with it.

Your problem is the heat generated by the fence and the pool and path. Anything you plant will have to be super tough. All plants loose and replace their leaves. Evergreen drop some leaves all the time and deciduous once a year. Adding pebbles will only reflect more heat and is becoming a dated look along with the cordylines. I'm not sure of your climate but a bullet proof evergreen plant that will cover the fence and take sun, drought and frost is the nandina domestica. Upright growing but no pruning required. There are new varieties of this plant but this one is just the right height to cover the fence. If you get cold weather in winter you will also get autumn colour. Will sucker from the bottom to fill the gap but not a garden thug. Has berries but because of the upright habit should fall into the garden bed. Sometimes called sacred bamboo but not a bamboo.

The street view from the front is pretty much the same as we gutted the interiors and rear of the building and left the heritage facades. The rear lane entrance changed a little. Colour Scheme was updated. And of course the beautiful recycled brick wall from the lane. You can also see the second storey poking out from under the ridge of the existing house roof space.

Thank you so much Illuminide Interiors. Really appreciate your advice. We did go with the cuban and once the grouting was done, it literally popped. I couldn't believe it.. Have attached a picture. Still a way to go with pebbling etc and the water!! Thank you again for your thoughts.. Best wishes to you..