Pull up some of the pavers and introduce landscaping into the space to break it up into smaller outdoor 'rooms' ... some shaded, some not. Perhaps a group seating area, a BBQ area, fire pit, swing under a pergola? That sort of thing. Give the old girl some character.

The period and style of your home suggests gravel as the medium of use. Grey, not blue and fine. Some products have clay 'fines' amongst the small gravel that enables the product to compact really well when laid properly. You can push prams etc over it without a problem. Paving and concrete cause drainage problems with runoff warranting drainage to accommodate excessive run off. Gravel and aggregates absorb the water. The cost is much cheaper but also looks totally better. The sustainable alternative is always about thinking differently.

With a dog, deciduous trees and four boys I have to sweep our timber deck almost daily and wash it regularly. However it doesn't take a lot of effort for it to come up looking clean. The sand & smaller particles sweep between the decking boards making it an quick clean over summer.

Painting the driveway would give an instant uplift. This must be done with correct paving paint. A colour similar to your roof may be good. This would be the best option for pricing. Laying a aggregate on top of existing driveway would be a lot more expensive. Levels of driveway would also change. I have never seen this done before. There is also a permeable product that gets laid on top of existing concrete. But this again would be a lot more expense.