We did this. Our home is classified as inter-war so after the federation period. Our porch had two arches at the front which we enclosed with frosted glass and we love the result. There is a lot of light that comes through. At the side, we bricked the wall up. We used bricks from other parts of the house which we were renovating so it blended with the original part of the house.

I'd go for something hardy like lillipillies along the pool - provided that you don't mind losing sun in either the morning or afternoon depending on which way the side faces. If you want to keep the pool nice and warm go for something a bit lower like a mix of tropical plants like ginger, small palms and bougainvillea which will add lovely colour. I'd caution against bamboo as they drop quite a bit of leaf litter and are very water hungry. As for the shady areas not sure but perhaps some pretty river pebbles as 'mulch' interspersed with a few shade-loving tropical plants like you see at hotels. But not too many plants as this will make the area darker.

I would go different again , and do the deck on one level , BUT go over the existing step , the 'terrace' and the footpath . I'd possibly do a built in seat along 'this' near end , and you'd step off the deck down onto the grass , or the path on the right hand side . Brown is the traditional colour to paint your deck obviously , but looking at your colours ( I assume pic 1 was when it was rendered , pic 2 is the painting completed ? ) I'd be tempted to do the deck in a charcoal or even a darker silvery grey , AND the window sills in the grey too . Just my take .

Instead of a singular pot, maybe a vertical plant stand would be better. Give some colour to your boring entry. Now is the time for petunias, vincas lots of potted colour. Would look wonderful. You have plenty of room on the left hand side for a vertical pot stand.