Maybe flat perforated steel panels? See [example[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/debora-carl-landscape-design-contemporary-garden-san-diego-phvw-vp~131881). Or perforated corrugated ones. There are tons of laser cut designs in screens available also. Made from various materials. If you go for something non-matching, you can tie it back in using some thing like these planters. There are outdoor shoji screens which would allow nice light to filter in. [Example[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/shoji-screen-fence-asian-garden-melbourne-phvw-vp~2244717) Perhaps use that concept with translucent screens but in a different style.

the shape of the extended roof depends on the available height as which roofing material is used...i notice that the existing verandah has two sets of posts as though it has already been extended and appears to have corrugated iron on the verandah roof which really needs a higher slope to function effectively over greater distances...although it will be so much more work and cost i suggest that the very best result would be achieved if you first decided what size undercover spaces you need and then redesign the whole space rather than adding on an extension ..my suggested small gable is only on top of the existing verandah roof to add some interest instead of having a deeper verandah across the whole front of the house you could add a new area at right angles to the existing house that could is much more generous and avoid changing too much of the original...post a rough floor plan of the house showing inside rooms, verandah (showing all the posts) SIZES, direction of north, and any views, describe your climate and show the distance from the front of the house to any front and side fences how do you plan to use the new space??

Thanks For the inspiration Julie. I’m thinking we might go with a darker colour for the back wall like one of your photos. I’m not sure if we will retain the jasmine creeper or go with another approach to planting. There is only about 1m between the pool edge and the walll The main view is at the end of the pool and that will definitely stay!

Thank you all so much for the support, comments and info. The paint swatch is actually a very pale egg shell (the blue version, not the green). I agree with everyone that a warm undertone in the paint colour is necessary, I think it’s just my photography making it look stark. We’ll do a proper paint test once the build is underway. Thx for the encouragement re colour MB Design. It’s actually quite daunting as everyone else is choosing white on white or from the grey scale. Lavender is a very brave choice but, well done, I imagine it’s spectacular. The splash back is still a work in progress, either a very simple textured tile/pressed tin/glass the same colour as the stone benchtop (not stone, sorry I wasn’t clear about that MB) or, maybe a smidgen darker than the paint, but not textured. Might be a last minute decision depending on overall look once underway. Again, thank you for this and every other time I’ve called for help.