We're building too this year and our exterior colours are light & dark grey... couldn't afford the timber cladding :( ... and we are having black alum windows, so I say go for black! :) Black windows suit most facades, from the contemporary to the more traditional... Plus what's your alternative, the alum silver? That would look even more blend against the grey exterior colours... whereas black will make the windows a stand out feature of the house... If you're concerned the facade may look a bit drab and if you're game enough, then be bold with a pop of colour in the front entry door... Internally, the black windows (against white/light walls?) will frame the outdoors looking almost like a picture... And no, you are not stuck with a monochrome look inside... you can easily introduce timber (floors, furniture, etc) to create warmth, or any colour you want as black goes with everything... Good luck :)

3. Romans. Moving onto the Roman Blind options, I think it important to note that the Romans you have in the other room look to be more ‘Casual Romans.' These are not lined, rather they are self-backed. There is nothing wrong with Casual Roman Blinds but you would be somewhat limited over the choice of fabrics in Australia, Here casual Roman Blinds are limited to plain fabrics such as the ones in your daughter’s bedroom. They are, however, a much more affordable option, though be it at the expense, perhaps, of your ability to be creative and make a design statement in the play room/tv room. Casual Romans require and utilise a pre-stiffened fabric or you will end up with you blinds coming to resemble ‘London blinds’ due to shape distortion and sagging. .. Not a good thing. (and an insult to beautifully made London Blinds) The other type of Roman Blind common in Australia are called ‘Traditional Soft-Roman’ blinds.’ These are lined with pre-stiffened Roman Lining which provides shape stability over time, and offers far superior insulating qualities over Casual Roman blinds because of the lining. They are more expensive not only because of the lining and the labour involved in their manufacture, but because they offer a far greater choice when it comes to fabrics; fabrics which could vary greatly in price, depending on the choices you make. If you want to make a design statement with Roman Blinds, then Traditional Soft-Roman Blinds are the way to go. Reading your post, I think it also worth advising that that you should not be afraid of departing from Romans. We have implemented many solutions with Romans and traditional drapery (eg; curtains and/or sheers) within the same room and even mixing them for the same window. Here are some examples I have found from other professionals on Houzz: Examples of mixing and matching of window treatments within the same room As jenpotts pointed out, you are lucky in that you have the space above the architraves. Mounting the Romans high, they will stack back above the height of the French doors. - So no ducking or blinds catching on the doors if fully retracted (stacked back/up) - It’s hard to tell from the image whether the doors open inward or outward. The bolt would indicate to me that they most likely open outward which is also an advantage. With an all-Roman solution you have several options that could be considered. Option 1 - Roman on the right-hand window and two additional Romans split at the centre of the doors. Option 2 - Roman on the right hand window and 3x Romans, one on each side window of the French doors, and a single Roman that would cover actual doors. An example of where individual (Casual) Roman blinds are utilised for each window panel of the multiple French Doors. I would not advise 4x Romans (one for each door panel and the two adjacent panels), primarily because you have stated the doors aren’t used often and in order to keep costs down, but what I would suggest with all options, is the addition of a single pelmet across all the windows. This would tie them all together off nicely and really add to the presentation of the window treatments collectively. It would also ‘level out' the appearance of the windows. The one on the right looks a little out of place extending up above the height of the French doors drawing the eye and detracting from the overall look of the windows 'collectively.' - A pelmet would level this out, but the downside is that the stack-back on the ‘high’ right-hand window will cause you to lose the upper most portion of that window, with the viewing area reduced to the height of the windows in the French doors and their two adjacent window panels. Here is an example of an extended pelmet that ties the individual blind treatments together. Also notice the addition of the sheer/organza on the right hand side, once again demonstrating that mixing and matching window treatments between window and within the same window treatment is fine. With regards to pelmets. I would suggest a pelmet with a deep fascia… around 25cm. You want the pelmet fascia deep but not too deep so as to overpower the overall look of the window treatments (as a whole). Your pelmet can be padded and lined and I would suggest a coordinated fabric rather than the same fabric you use for the blinds. It’s a real opportunity to make a make a design statement, subtle or otherwise, and will do a lot for the overall projection of the look you want for this room. Ensure you go for a good quality Traditional Soft Roman Blinds. Good quality Roman blinds use pre-stiffened lining rather than normal curtain lining (which is not pre-stiffened and 1/3 of the price). Pre-Stiffened lining is important if you want to maintain the shape of the Romans over time, without them sagging on you. They will also provide far better insulating qualities than cheap Romans made with regular curtain lining. Going 'chain operated' for all the blinds is not an insignificant additional cost given the number of blinds you may elect to purchase, but definitely a decision you would not regret, going forward. This room has potential. Take your time with it, do it justice, even if it means deferring your decision till you can fund it (if that becomes an issue). ... You will have live whatever you purchase for quite some time so it is advisable to take your time making your decision(s) so that your window treatments will be a source of pleasure rather than a source of regret..

Maybe use a Hardi product which imitates timber so you don't have to re-oil every year Personally I like the shutter system you have as it looks like a beach house If window treatments are dark it will darken the interiors as well, due to reflection Make the lower section of the building light & use the same colour for the existing shutters - maybe with a stripe (e.g. white with light grey) Then have the grey as the top part of the building Trim with white & a darker grey

I love your view! There's options here, and they'll be led by where your blinds are installed in my opinion. It looks like you might need to install the blinds to the face of the architraves, in which case, I'd be selecting pale blinds to sit outside the window as they'll, hopefully be up out of the way most of the time. If they fit inside the recess, then I'd select dark.