Your shutters won't seem sterile once you get greenery outside :). The white will help reflect plenty of light inside and will have the nice crisp look you are obviously after with your charcoal/white/polished floor combo.......go for it :)

Thanks for everyone's help. We have decided on Whisper White with standard decorator's white for the ceilings, as suggested by you and the painter. I also found this earlier post about white paint shades to be very helpful for others facing this dilemma! https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/3019158/which-white-is-right

consider very dark walls like navy, dark grey, rich caramel or deep rust colours with eaves and fascias white, downpipes same as walls and gutters a mid range colour to match the dark walls (btw some new paints are supposed to have heat reflecting qualities even in the darker colours)

The simple whites are what I like, the lounge welcomes you to get comfortable and spend time and lose all the distractions, giving you a chance to refresh and refocus. The TV art on the wall is the highlight and draws your attention, and hides its personalities. Is it a TV at all?, Overall I chose number 9 for its simplicity and comforting feel with no clutter and with one piece to comfort the body and one piece to stimulate the mind.