Lovely home. You already have some great suggestions from several people. Good to know where you are located, as it will truly make a difference with plant suggestions/choices. Would definitely plant your trees away from the house. Trees are meant to 'frame' the house and if you have a pool I can understand your desire to minimize the leaves you'll have to deal with. Think about what size any foundation plants will be in 5-6 years and how much upkeep you are willing to do on full-grown shrubs. Do your research on anything your landscaper of choice suggests. Visit the nursery with him/her if possible and be a part of the plant selections once they give you the layout. Make sure they understand you have final approval on all plant selections. In other words, don't 'settle' on something you are unsure about or don't like just because they put it on a piece of paper. This time of year is a great time to visit nurseries or botanical gardens nearby and see what is blooming (shrubs, border plantings, etc) and take photos of what you like. Write down names if possible and keep a list of things that appeal to you. Most nurseries or botanical gardens are more than happy to tell you about the varieties of plants available and their mature sizes. If not, go home and look on the internet. You don't want to put an 8' plant in front of those pretty french doors! Do you use all 3 doors all the time? For now, you could start with a couple of chairs on the porch and a couple of large planters with some interesting plantings in them between the doors. Ferns or tall spiky plants, with other colorful plants mixed in front and something trailing out. Lots of container ideas available and you could easily do that yourself.

Glad you figured it out. I think your hand drawings are really good, btw. Above are the minimum recommended clearances for seating. If this is a high traffic corridor, I'd make it even wider than the minimum. Is the X the dishwasher? Do you plan a prep sink in your island? If you are, I think your plan looks pretty good but in order to have room for more than one person prepping/cooking, you'd want 48" aisles between the island and cooking wall. This means you'd need a narrower island. Since people really don't chat well together if they are all lined up in a row like a lunch counter, you might consider moving the seating down the island a bit with two on the side with the current seating and one at the end. This allows for better chatting there and people sitting are still close enough to chat with the cook. And it moves them down from a prep sink placed at the other end of the island so they're not likely to get sprayed. I think I would get tired of prepping at the clean-up sink as you would need to carry things too far to the cooktop and it's just adding a lot of extra steps. So, really, consider that prep sink. From the drawings, I think you are creating a very pleasing visual space but just a few tweaks would make it more functional.

It is difficult to remodel when you have had months or years to plan, shop, and assemble your idea books. What happened to you with hurricane damage is so beyond the mind’s comprehension and the heart’s break. You have to make these thousand decisions without any preparation. First, take a deep breath and be good to yourself. Your decisions are fast and furious at a time when you are truly in mourning- for your past lifestyle, your precious lost things, and the devastation around you. To those who have suffered a fire or a tornado, I am not trying to lessen your real loss. However, a hurricane turns your entire town, your job, your neighbors’ lives upside down and a great support system is lost. It is almost impossible to drive anywhere for weeks because all the landmarks are gone, the street signs missing, and neighbors moved to unknown locations. But for now, be good to yourself. Know that you will make some mistakes, but this forum is full of people who have planned a remodel for months and still have the same doubts and second-guessing you do! None of these decisions are life and death. Just get this finished and start making new memories with your family in your “new”home. For the record, some of my neighbors had blue tarp roofs for two years. It takes time.

I agree with Thalia B above that wood trim is making a comeback but I'm seeing slightly different tones in those inspo pics than the one in OP's pic. (For as much as we can trust screen renderings of colours.) Subtle difference but it can make a difference. I love wood trim as well and when I said I'd lighten or darken this trim, I didn't necessarily mean painting it. Also, @jwencel42, to be clear about the fireplace: it's not that it's meh for me; it's that the view is superlative. :) In this room's design, how can one not privilege the natural view that take one's breath away?! :D This view deserves attention and contemplation and 'bringing the outdoors in' usually makes for harmonious design. A well-designed room is one that makes you feel good living in it so function is key. Focal points can only go so far. :) And usually, once people are in a room, they become the focal point.