Perhaps if you look at your outdoor spaces as outdoor rooms, it may help you personalize and organize the areas. What I see in the photo is a small front yard divided in half, and a tree placed exactly in the center of the other half, within a little square of bed. I expect you would not do that with an interior room. A visitor will be compelled to race down the hallway to the front door, and probably not even notice the tree, since it is not part of a composition, a furniture grouping. You enter your living room to a welcoming composition of a furniture grouping, lamps, pictures on the wall, drapes (I hope) on the windows. You get the idea. Would you put a post lamp in the middle of an empty room? It would tend to diminish the size of the space and it's usefulness as a space. Would you put a carpet down the center of a room? -- only if you were creating two separate scenarios of equal size. You need some on-site advisers, whether they be landscape architects or interior designers, someone or more than one who will offer their experienced suggestions for you to consider, but not immediately act upon. You need to live with your new spaces and walk through their ideas for weeks, or months, before making a decision on how to proceed. Perhaps it would help you to read the thoughts of some international designers like Bunny Williams, with her book, On Garden Style, where you will get the feeling that the views of the outside rooms from within the house are as important as the views from the street. You will want to move the maple out of its central location, remove the central path, - and the conifers scare me. You really have a very small space up front here. Take a look in the park at the size of a mature conifer. They will occupy your yard and that of your neighbor, as they develop as nature intended. They are very beautiful, a work of art, but space-consuming. You may have room in the back yard, but be careful when blocking the magnificent views from within the house. Perhaps you will provide an entrance to your outdoor room over to the right, near your property line, with the tree, the lamp post, a small chair or bench, a bed of small plants that have beauty and fragrance throughout the seasons - a space you would like to sit in yourself, perhaps have coffee with the neighbor, or the kids hang out with a pal. Then have the walk work its way over toward the entrance area - not the door, but the welcoming area before the door, slow them down to enjoy the sequence, while providing a most pleasant view of this area from within. Make the plantings permanent, with no soil or mulch to show, after two years, as the groundcover plants mature and cover the beds. Keep all the annual plants in containers, to be stored away if empty, so the views of your spaces are not distracted by an open area in the bed where the annuals have departed, or an empty pot. Consider excluding your auto from your outdoor room, your welcoming area. You don't have room for a real screen, so just a suggestion, as a small hedge or plant bed to stop the eye before it gets to the drive. Perhaps the view beyond the drive is attractive, so all you need to filter from the view is the driveway pavement itself, as the car belongs in the garage, yes? Sometimes a little perimeter fence with a gate says welcome to my special space. In your case perhaps a darker color, not the typical white, which would be a high contrast to the house and not appropriate here, grabbing all the attention. What I have offered may be of no use to you, however, the intent of my words is to provoke you to analyze first, then plan. Consider alternatives from all viewpoints before deciding how to proceed, as these spaces and plants will be a part of your life for many years. Good luck to you. Continue the process at the tortoise pace, not the hare.

Bit late now to comment, I guess, but would like to share that we are contemplating the plans on a government website for a sustainable home. Have actually got to the point of getting prices to build. It is 3 bed and study but we have changed the front bed, making it larger for a separate media room. The study is large enough for a bedroom and we plan to install a wall bed with desk. Have changed the kitchen to incorporate a walk in pantry. Love the master bed suit which has a passage to the en suite which contains the only bath so could be used by anyone. Guests usually only shower and they are provided with a shower and toilet in their area. Works for us! The plan is free and changes are allowed.

Where it's always been I hope, just kidding. One thing you find on Houzz is the"Brief" is very brief so you don't have much to work with. With what was supplied and that the property was being "considered" for purchase, I wouldn't go any further. The current floor plan needed opening up which I did a rough layout for. the internal room could be kept if they wanted, just by using one of my favourite things, full height cavity doors/Barn Doors forming the corner of a room/rooms, no need for windows, could have an opening skylight if needed as per attached. If they purchase maybe the will look to extend, next chapter.

To be honest I think you're better off looking at the style of house you have.  Deciding what you like about it and finding a style which suits that kind of house.  I'm not a huge fan of Hamptons but if I lived in a Queenslander or just a weatherboard cottage in a regional area that's probably what I would choose.  My current house is 1960s and so better lends itself to modernist but our extension is quite contemporary and has been styled to match.  Previously I lived in a federation house and my decor was different again.  My other tip is to look at your wardrobe and at outfits you really love and why they work.  I think this gives you a good idea of colour schemes and styles which would suit you.  I'm no interior expert but you can then find pictures you like and build up on Houzz or Pinterest. You don't really need a name as such as this just becomes marketing. For example Kate Walker Design's KWD demonstrates some different design styles but I like most of them equally and would again make choices based on location and the style of house.   Sometimes it's easier to simply rule out what you don't like (for me that is primary colours and shiny surfaces)