@creativelychallenged the paint colours are grey - Luna Eclipse by New Look (paint place) and dulux quarter lexicon for trims the door and stairs are monument grey :)

Well I know you want to be true to the house & reuse what you can but I would probably go with a more modern style like the stainless wire and timber top rail rather than dowels or timber for the infill. Be mindful of building code for the infill as horizontal is climbable and has to be very close together. There is so much upkeep in timber & if you go with the vertical metal rod look with the timber top plate maybe...? I am not an expert on any era or style though I know you will have a preference in mind & I would go with that. Look at the big picture of how your house will look with a change of paint (are you painting the house?) & for me it was about making the 25 year old house more contemporary. We love it!

rome_agile, have you decided whether to put small round table & chairs under stairs, or bar stools at bench? I'm thinking you might be more comfortable for extended dinners sitting at a table and chairs, plus you can always tuck up an extra stool or two if you are entertaining. There isn't much room at bench and people wouldn't really be facing each other. Stools are fine for quick and casual, if you have space. Maybe backless ones that tuck under the overhang a bit. Have you seen a Tulip table and the clear Louis Ghost Chairs? The Ghost chairs would allow light through so you don't lose the view outdoors and that space wouldnt fee crowded.

this is the classic issue with rendering - it needs to be strategically used.....it's a fine line between going too far and then having to put back aspects of what has been lost, which in this case is texture and the horizontal element of brickwork that helps to keeps the facade proportions of these era residences (more) balanced.......now you have to add aspects back in to get that balance back.......it probably would have been better to have taken the brickwork out from above the windows and finished with the dark element insert like the detail you have over the entry further back - then you would have had some architectural consistency and expression of the form.......there's art to understanding what to do and what not to do in these situations which is why we bang on about the importance of seeking professional assistance with these decisions, because it's always cheaper to talk about it all beforehand, rather than try and fix problems that could have been avoided or arguably managed differently/better...... I'd agree that potentially a pergola structure would help bring in some lighter/softer/textural aspect to the frontage, and paint it dark to match the trim/barges - or even some external venetian awnings to the windows - we've sometimes introduces sections of batten cladding or screenings to counter & balance expanses of blandness......one way or the other there's not a cheap way out so perhaps think about what will provide some practical benefit as well so you're getting bang for buck/2 for 1 & not just tarting up to fix aesthetic issues Good Luck! PD :)