Well nasmijati has much to offer. For my mind i would like to get an understanding of who you are before thinking too much ahead friendlykim. If we leave climate change, fire zones, function, ergonomics and sustainability to one side we might consider your childhood experiences, your passions, sufferings, do you like literature/ Japanese poetry? - will you have mist in the winter months? what music do you like? imagination as play in defining space, choreographing shade and light, will you have children to consider, would you consider a more elemental use of water for swimming and other opportunities in place of a lap pool? we could talk about art, what artists you love, insight beyond reason which comes through our relationship that your garden may feed your mind on a daily basis. Have you travelled? Does the north African civilization have anything to teach you for garden application? - what is your latitude? Has contemplation placed it's hand on your shoulder by this stage of your life? I should stop - for me it's not really about design, it's about the life of the mind and arousing latent, hidden aspects of who you are - your life narrative. This is how I would start making a garden for you and preferably over lunch - it is primarily about love in the end!

We need photos of the house and site. Where is your home situated? What is the soil drainage like? Some plants like porous soils with limestone, others well drained clay, and others prefer winter wet, summer dry. So need to know more about your site. Alison

From what I can see, the only way to enter and exit the laundry is from the outdoors. Is this intentional? Would you never see yourself or someone else in family popping into the laundry to run a load of clothes? Or wash a dog in the laundry sink? Maybe this is the way it is there?

I have to chime in and say the Gardening with Angus site has been invaluable in my research on natives. Lots of natives you can buy in tube stock. Google suppliers. They say that in two years or less the tube stock has caught up with the nursery size plants. And they are way cheaper. Def use Pintrest, Instagram and Houzz for inspiration. My two cents worth is to do mass plantings of the same plant. Use very wide garden beds as you have space. And go for Height at the back, mixed in the middle and spilling at the front. I'd also stick to only a couple of colours in the flowers.