What an incredible space! You seem to have an unusual mix of design elements here. I see a mix of contemporary and Spanish styles fighting for dominance. You could easily go either way and the house would be stunning. It depends on you style taste. My choice would be to go with the Spanish influences to soften the facade. Here are some ideas I had: (see photos at end) The harshest feature are the windows. To ease the strong lines I'd opt for placing dark hand hewn wooden beams over the 3X window bay and the 4X window bays, along with the widow way at the top over the porch area. Under these windows I would add fabricated mouldings that are in the pictures below. For the entry way you need to draw more attention in that location. To do this the door needs some attention. Try either stipping the present door and staining it a stain with orange tones (see photo) or paint the present door in this color tone. In addition, placing wrought iron grills in the door windows would work to soften the entry as well. (you can find faux inserts or use wrought iron) To call more attention to the front door, and softening the harsh line above the porch I'd put in place a pergola extending outward to the front of the 4window bay that matches the wooden beams over the windows. Now the eye travels to one location instead of drifting back and forth. I see you have wonderful downspouts. I would bring attention to those as well and paint them an aged copper tone. To give the house a "Top" I suggest painting the moulding along the roofline a brown color to match the wooden beams. This way the house won't float. It will be grounded. To keep the garage area from looking like an after thought encorporate it by changing out the doors with wooden doors that have a line of square windows in the top frames only. Try matching the beams to the garage. I too would suggest changing out the light fixtures to better fit the size and style of the home. I have a photo of a Spansh style home attached that has a nice choice. (The long lights) Finally, I would use planting to soften the house a bit. Perhaps removing the popsicle bushes and placing in some Italian cypress. I see them placed one on either side of the 3window bay and one of the far right of the 4 window bay.

Thank you everyone for the advice and input. Well, I guess the spice jars must go! I'll have to go out and look for a vase to go there. I really wanted a console on the wall paper wall, but after renovating our kitchen, funds have been redirected, and thus limited. I'm stuck with the round table for now. But painting it is definitely an option. I'm thinking a duck egg color (same as the wall paper). I actually really like the cow hide, maybe the layered look isn't working. I'll try it without the rug underneath.

I see this is a very old thread , with lots of comments . I've just skim read them , but I haven't seen anyone suggest anything like my 'top-of-my-head' idea -- I love the wood , and the white contrast , but pretty boring . Whats your favourite colour , or what ties in with the other rooms ? It might be blue or red or yellow or orange or green , as examples . So paint the skirting board and around the door a pastel shade of your choice , and add a small 30cm x 30cm abstract painting featuring that colour as the primary dominant one , above ( or possibly below , or maybe even get 2 matching/complementary ones ) the control panel . One lighting crowd suggested glass shades -- I'd actually go for someothing large but wooden , in much the same shade as your floors and steps , with LED bulbs -- you can get some stunning ones around 80-100 cm in diameter ( sort of a star ball shape ) for $300-400 . Total budget then $500 plus a painter and maybe electrician , unless you DIY .

Yarnos I agree with Natasha. Your existing architect will have (well, should have after working on your existing design) an intimate understanding of your site, soil conditions and implications of levels on your design. He/She are in the best position (given his/her understanding of your brief and constraints) to illustrate to you how a design solution such as this can work. No one on this forum is currently in a better position than your architect to explain this to you and outline the affordability of it as an option, based on your site, your brief and your budget. You can visualise this concept by letting your architect demonstrate it for you. If they are not demonstrating it, then you have the wrong architect I'm afraid. And if you are not empowering them to use their expertise and provide design solutions for you, then you either need to get another architect, or be a better client. Architects and designers - the good ones - are creative problem solvers. They are design detectives in the art of living well. They spend their entire professional and personal lives and time studying how people live, and how to create environments (and homes) for them to support them living better - more functionally, flexibly, beautifully. The talent of a good architect/designer is invaluable in elevating your lifestyle ... of taking the 30 year mortgage you're about to wage on this bet of building a home, of taking this massive investment, and turning it into a physical building that is your heaven and haven, your place of sanctuary and inspiration. They expand your vision, interpreting both what you say, and what you don't, into a result that is beyond your imagining. That's why you hire them - because you can't do what they can, and you need them to bring your dreams into life in a way that's better than you could have ever anticipated or created yourself. As a client, you have a responsibility to brief them well, trust them to do their job, be open to their ideas, and be guided by their expertise. The not so good architects and designers are simply drawers and documenters. They 'convert' your brief, your expressed wishes and shopping list into a floor plan that fits, and can be built, but that's simply it. It's a house, not a home. It functionally will do the job, but it never reaches its full potential. And so your life in it never reaches its full potential. You unwittingly compromise, never truly aware of how different, how much better, things could have been. The catch is, you've made a massive investment, and created something that will outlast you and become someone else's home too. So the impact is generational. Your responsibility as a client to these architects and designers is to understand the difference, and ideally not work with them - not unless you can show design leadership yourself. Work out which one your architect is and make a decision. Trust them to do the job properly for you (and give them the ability to do it), or walk away and find someone else. Regards Amelia Lee Undercover Architect www.undercoverarchitect.com amelia@undercoverarchitect.com