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Yes, do consider venetian blinds. They come in different materials and an endless array of colours ( decisions decisions...). I like them because they're versatile and practical in their use but, to my eye, still timelessly stylish, a,thought you i couldn't tell you wether they would suit your home's style. I'm referring to the pull up/down blinds and not the shutter-like ones as in Inna's photo, which might be good to consider too.

You will be altering the appearance of the front elevation. Planners, and planning departments, have different interpretations of the rules. It would be prudent to procure some pictures of your proposed gates ,and discuss your ideas informally with the local area planner before incurring any expense. Say you want to tidy up the front ( bins etc ) and provide better security to the dwelling ( a planning consideration ) and sound them out. It should be ok but for a bit of time it saves the potential hassle if they have a local policy and you were to buy gates that were, for instance too high for their liking without planning permission. I have had 2 instances recently were locals have not liked someone's gates and have informed the planners who insisted on a planning application. Either way it should be ok eventually. Good luck.

What a pretty house. The flint wall hinted at Norfolk! I really like your windows, but I get that you may want a change or to lighten it up a bit. I think you are right, a soft blue or green would look nice. There’s a colour I keep recommending on here by Little Greene called Celestial Blue which is a very pale blue/green and very pretty. Of course there are many lovely green or blue shades.