I think that the problem that you have is that you have too many flat surfaces and angles with nothing to lead your eye away from the blandness. You have grey concrete, grey roof, grey walls and the emotional response to that is a feeling of flatness and blah. The only thing that brings any kind of relief to the view are the plants and the steps that introduce different levels. My suggestion would be to look at adding texture, different levels for contrast to the flat surfaces and colours that unite those elements. Take a look at how the red lid on the rubbish bin pops out amongst the muted tones. Maybe bright red pots with taller (and healthier) looking plants in them on either side of the bench with a textural artwork or screen as mentioned above in between. You could be really bold and paint the steps red!, but don't do the pot plant suggestion if you do that. Once the air conditioning unit is removed I would put more boards down the front to cover up the gap and dirt underneath the pot plants. If you have the available space in front of that, place some seating and maybe a table, perhaps toning in with the grey tones but with a colour pot or cushions that tie in with the plants in the coloured (I suggested red, go with what you like) pots. I would also like to see what sort of door you have to access the room and yes, put the bins somewhere else if possible, they are unsightly.

So far......These are the light grey tiles around the pool. The coping of the pool is done with light grey Marble, and we got mosaics on outside around the spa - Still not finished yet.... Tilers are here today working :)) Hopefully hould be finished soon!

I would use viburnum as they are a great hardy plant, there is the sweet viburnum , or emerald lustre or dense fence, lovely lush foliage and white flowers, need a good free draining soil and to be watered regularly, you can grow them to whatever height you like, they respond beautifully to clipping and enjoy all weathers , a slow release fertiliser during spring keeps them looking beautiful.

Make sure you have good soil, add mulch, water crystals to retain moisture, slow release fertiliser to promote healthy growth, a watering system is a great way to save time and keep plants looking great. You could try for a tropical look by planting golden cane palms, elephant ears, the gorgeous Rhapis is elegant and gives good dense coverage and beneath trees the lush Xanadu’s foliage is beautiful, adding to the soil as above will maintain the garden beds in top condition.