Aesthetically, I think railing or similar is much more appealing than extending upward the ramp brickwork; however, changing colour will definitely improve visual of the existing walls. The pics siriuskey provided are very attractive. I like the idea of repeating the same style handrail as you have inside, as it lends consistency. Solid brickwork seemstoo heavy and chunky to me; a handrail will add elegance. Note: Do you need to worry about children attempting to climb the ramp walls (do code regs address this)?

Too much of a feature becomes a distraction. 70's / 80's brick interior houses were great then but are clearly dated now. One feature wall with the other walls in smooth plaster can still work, provided you address the feature wall as such, by not cluttering it with stuff. Try keeping the furnishing minimal and selected feature wall type dressing. hopefully this way you feature wall will look stylish. Hope this helps. Alfred Botha. www.gapdesign.com.au

The bricks , and the roof , are 'livable' IMO , both are that certain era , but they are pleasant -- like everyone else , the mouse turd must go though . Ooops , maybe its mustard haha . I'd do the window frames and gutters in a charcoal like Monument , or a crisp white -- a bit mysterious , or a clean look , but either will 'sharpen' the lines if that makes sense -- its a bit wishy washy right now . Oh , and the fence that is visible in the pics , and any other similar ones -- again , a charcoal stain . It also references the flecks in the bricks . The garage doors I'd probably go a 'metallic' charcoal . The railings I wonder if they are up to code , but anyway , if they are staying , do them and all the under-eves in a crisp white . So your main colours are now red , charcoal , white , and the greyer roof tone ( but not in equal proportions , so it won't look 'striped' ) . Which still leaves the majority of the mustard -- just go Surfmist or similar off-white with a blue tinge -- keep it closer to a white IMO . That Toffee Fingers is nice in itself , but not only do I feel it doesn't gel , it also introduces another colour group , whereas to me white and surfmist are 1 group , charcoal and the roof another similar grouping , while the brick is the primary thing you see , but it all works together .

Usually I'd say think carefully before committing to covering brick. I've seen it done well, and I've seen it done badly from a maintenance point of view and also in regard to whether it successfully improved the appearance or just looked like a cheap attempt to 'modernise'. But in this case it's a small space and I think paint or render could work well, and then some planters and maybe a decorative piece on one wall, as Julie has suggested. Is it visible from anywhere other than the windows? If it doesn't affect the facade of the building there's potential to have some fun with colour. Relying completely on plantings to liven up the brick cell vibe means finding plants that look good while coping with the conditions. And plants and trellises make good homes for spiders. So I think I'd address the bricks first and then add something as a feature rather than the main solution. Where is the drainage?