The problem with this house is not the exterior finishes; it is the out-of-place, unfinished look of the low flat roof especially with the bright white edge trim on red brick. You need to get a sloped roof on it or put up a well designed perimeter railing with a darker metal edge trim. There should be no problem with adding the railing to the existing roofing if it is a single-ply membrane. Having the posts there beforehand would not have made it any easier but you might have to open up the ceiling below. Find an architect who knows how to wrap the posts so the flashing is not showing. Here is a link that might be useful: woodway railings

I wouldn't do stone on the garage. I also wouldn't bring another material into the mix.

Anglophilia- We love the idea of the “triangle of light”. It will do so much for the space. I totally understand your rant of lack of tables/lights! You can find me reading pitifully curled up next to the only lamp in the room, with my drink out of arms reach on the coffee table. I think that these suggested ideas of where/what types of tables and lights to add in will make this a much better space to hang out in. Artemis_ma- Thank you for the insight! I appreciate it. That seems to be the general consensus of what to change in this room. I love this red brick, so I’d much rather design a room around it than to paint it! Lascatx- Great advice, thanks. And thank you for the helpful LED information, I’m sure that will make all the difference. We’ve already started the hunt for a new rug—we’re excited to see what that does for the room and where to go from there (for the coffee table, etc). Artdreamer- Thank you for the advice! We used to have a beautiful palm tree in the corner, but unfortunately it only lived a year or so. Not sure if I just don’t have good luck with plants, or if it didn’t like our cold, dark winters. We may try again! Those are great rug suggestions, and I like the idea of adding a mirror to reflect light to further brighten the room. Thanks! K Fitz- No problem! I’m sure it will be more messy and difficult than the internet makes it seem (aren’t home projects always this way?) but… 1) We plan to follow this set of directions to remove the brick: https://www.wikihow.com/Replace-a-Damaged-Brick ). 2) We will then cut the brick in half (either with a circular saw or by hand with a chisel https://www.thisoldhouse.com/more/how-to-hand-cut-brick ). 3) We will then re-insert the brick, pushing it back in until it is flush with the rest of the brick wall.

Start by posting pics of your home. We can't see it with just a general description of colors. Context makes a difference.