We have installed indoor shutters for the neatness of the finish and the privacy they provide. They have helped with the westerly afternoon heat and sun up to a point. We installed an external drop of sand coloured shade cloth, attached just under the guttering ( it has evenly spaced hooks that catch the bottom edge to the house wall about 50cm under the window sills) along a continuous north facing window that was letting in a huge amount of summer heat despite the deep eaves. That was a DIY temporary thing until we rebuilt that part of the house but I think I might look at replicating it when we do that job next year. It has made a huge difference in the heat and glare but doesn't stop us seeing into the garden. We can roll it up neatly in winter.

Absolutely you can mix traditional windows with contemporary window treatments, although I don't think plantations are considered contemporary by any means. Ordinarily sash windows can have shutters installed over them, however I can see your sill is very narrow given your bottom pane sits forward of the frame. I can see privacy is no issue, in fact you have a great view and half height windows allow light in and keep peepers out, so I suggest plantation shutters fitted to your French doors, to allow tilt and directional light and a roman blind as the folds of fabric mimic the frames themselves to your corner arrangement. If they are too fussy for you a standard holland blind, however be creative, you can have a bonded holland which allows for a fabric front bonded to a block out backing, you can ask for a roman fold on the bottom making them look like a roman when rolled almost all up, and dress the window a little better, but Hollands can roll up into the frame and allow for maximum window when wanted.

totally agree and would not like to any of the above lollie pop colours, Using White & black trims is classic and ageless and works beautifully with the bricks and terracotta roof. The brief is to keep the budget in mind, and I agree with not rendering or painting the brick especially just the front. Other than what is already planned, I'd concentrate on painting windows and trims and as mentioned replacing the gutters and down pipes, making over the driveway and clean up and plant the garden. Something that might make the house look a bit more up to date is how the carport is filled, will the wall facing the street be board that's rendered , timber, cut metal sheets or 50's concrete blocks painted or not. When you used to fly into Sydney it was a sea of red roofs now they're all monument and the walls similar. cheers

So not knowing your style, budget, climate etc (!!), this is what I would do! ; D I'd stay true to the original character, although it could certainly do with some prettying up! Make it fresh, a bit tropical and a bit retro, there's no need to spend a lot to make it look great! Keeping it classic will mean it won't date, instead of following a current trend too tightly. Often helps to think inside out first too... I LOVE the Atlantic at Byron Bay as a reference, both inside & outside. It's got a nice beach relaxed feel but still honouring a bit of retro but still feeling fresh. There's loads of images on the web, but here's a start: https://www.habitusliving.com/architecture/kick-back-in-one-of-byrons-luxury-beach-shacks http://www.distinctive.net.au/blog/n/out-about-the-atlantic-byron-bay-160111 - Interior walls & floors: Keep the base fresh & pared back: Dulux Natural White on walls, satin polished timber floorboards (natural with clear satin varnish, no stain). If you need rugs, again Ikea sisal or a natural coloured textured one. - Window coverings: white venetians (often cheap from Spotlight etc), natural coloured roman blinds, linen full length curtains (in natural or even light grey - again Ikea if you don't want to DIY), even bamboo matchstick blinds. - Then layer texture: natural coloured cottons (e.g. sofa: Ikea sofa Ektorp or Freedom Hampton), linen. Then add feature pieces e.g. a few rattan / cane feature pieces (easy to find on gumtree), interesting pendant lights - Ikea have some great ones - rattan pendant, Ranarp metal, vintage (ebay) enamel industrial pendant lightshades. Then some pattern/colour: black & white stripe (again Ikea have great fabric and even $5 Vargyllen cushions!), maybe a retro style palm print https://www.templeandwebster.com.au/Palm-Tree-Cushion-Cover-VINA1177.html Black & white family photo wall... And indoor plants!! EXTERIOR - Obviously remove all the clutter first so you can better see what you're working with. (I'm guessing this is from previous owner photos) - Uncover the exterior! If practical, remove the blinds, the security screens, lattice and trim the bushes right back. - Paint colours- so many options on these old fibros. You could paint fresh Natural white, add some smart black & stripe canvas awnings would look cute, fresh and a bit retro (actually similar to The Atlantic above). Alternatively paint neutral white with coloured trims - such as Dulux Deep Ocean. Or if you're really brave, I love the look of a dark Ironstone or Monument colour with fresh white trims! You could even do the main house the safer white then the granny flat in the dark! It would be great to change the emerald roof as this does limit what you can do. Don't go dark, it'll trap too much heat, maybe paint Windspray or Shale Grey colour, depends on your wall colour choices. Actually this is assuming it;s iron, I can't actually tell from the photos. - If you really want to trick it up you could even do a weatherboard style cladding, even Scyon, it would look amazing but I thin there's something lovely about the original fibro too if that's a better option budget-wise. - Would love to see photos when you've done that and then you could get suggestions for the next stage. Options could be replacing granny flat sliding doors with French doors (Bunnings have some great super cheap ones, which I saw a reno show got a handyman to connect 3 as trip-folds?!), if you have to keep the large cover for shade into the house, paint fresh white and tidy it up, otherwise make smaller. - It's hard to see the shrubs but they do look a bit nannyish (!), but it could be good to retain them as they're established and give good filler for the short term. Alternatively if you're keen to re-do, I love lush Sweet Viburnum (check out Dense Fence, it's super quick, hardy), then add in groupings more contemporary plants - I love clusters of Mexican Lily (Beshoneria, the spiky one in the pic below), Westringia is a good filler, succulents like silver spoons, chalksticks and even a feature frangipani at the front of the house underplanted with chalksticks. If you want a nice small tree, Tuckeroo is great (see 2nd photo), other planted individually or in a line as below. A bit hard to find, but a great native option, I really love it.