Paint the extruding garage a feature colour and the room above a different shade of that. For the rest of the house one colour. I like what the other person said with greys. Use grey as a feature and may be a toned down white for the rest. Posts could be black or dark grey and timber slats as you thought. If you have timber slats anywhere, I would probably leave some exposed brick somewhere, that is, if you are painting or rendering the house. I like 3 different elements in a house. eg. 3 different colours or 3 different products/textures.

If you make the garage roof appear horizontal/flat from the front without any eave or visible roof, you will notice a huge difference... This could be a flat roof and box gutter to the garage, which would retain the look around the corner. It could also just be a simple parapet in front of the roof as designed, which would be less of an additional cost for you. I also agree with others, if you can get the lower verandah roof to also appear flat from the front it will benefit. The reason for this is that it will allow the two roof pitches on the first (upper) floor to become the dominant roof forms. Right now you have 4 dominant roof forms competing. Flattening out the bottom two will allow them to look a little heavier and become the anchor for your building

the two doors are confusing and the glass in the laundry door is darker and makes it more obvious in the photo .. consider a a dramatic new colour for the front door and a small gable roof to create a definite entry porch with extra posts and short entry path with symmetrical planting ...the new gable could be added when you're ready to renew the roof and a light coloured roof with dark trim and a bright new front door eg Colorbond Surfmist with Basalt gutters, eaves and posts with a bright blue door?

Agree on the cedar , and I'm not sure what condition the roof is , but if you do need to paint , keep it similar and light . The areas I would focus on are the door and the gutter . The brown gutter does nothing to help , but keeping in the 'organic' spectrum , I'd go a mid to military green for the gutter . The door and the window frames around it I'd go a mid yellow -- say a mild buttercup or similar , so it stands out but still looks organic . The small deck and wires I'd demolish , go wider so it stretches from below 1 window across the door to the other side , so around 3 metres long , but with uprights and a pergola style roof -- all done in monument or similar OR if you can source the sizes , maybe cedar . Possibly have a bench seat one or both sides , even marine plywood cupboards under them . They are still liable to get wet , but use for garden tools , hoses , spray items , or sitting on or decoration -- sort of get that rustic thing going . It just needs a boost around there , but anything too shiny or modern or tacky will distract .