To start I like the grill and the dining table to be as close to the kitchen as possible. As for furniture what is your interior style? I like to have some cintinuity from the inside to the outside . Plants are really something best chosen at a garden center in your specific area. Big pots work best and IMO the bigger the better for watering and for impressive plant and color display. At this time of year Costco usually has some great choices in outdoor furniture so maybe start there.This would be a nice color I think and I lo ve that there are loungers in the same style.

The OP stated, they are a new homeowner and are looking for paint color to update on the cheap. So telling her everything has to go does not help. I like the gray color suggested by Live Wire Oak. That color really updates the space and looks modern. To be honest, IMHO, the counter and backsplash are neutral and blend nicely. I do not find your kitchen offensive, at all. The cabinets are darker walnut color which I like, and not an orange color. The cabinets, counter and backsplash appear to be in good shape. So paint the walls and buy some accessories on the cheap (check out houzz photos for accesory ideas), and enjoy your updated kitchen for many years. I agree a cheap option is to replace the cabinet handles and knobs with something more sleek and modern. My preference is satin chrome color.

No sketch showing. You must allow the picture to become full color before submitting. It takes a few seconds. (Not as "whizzy" ... I'll be using that. :-) I wouldn't think of the plants I drew as "large trees," but more as large shrubs. And then, there'd be all manner of smaller shrubs available as alternatives. Regardless of size, the tree FORM seems, to me, to best address the existing neighboring background. But I sense you are on a quest with ideas already in mind and therefore, not too steerable. It's hard to imagine your vision because, as I look at the site, it seems largely over-exposed ... like a hard desert. If some shade doesn't come, I won't be able to sit there and enjoy myself. :-)

You should be able to get a corner media cabinet to put under the TV to hold peripherals and ground that zone -- no built-ins needed. As for the rest, I'd take down the valences and try just living with the blinds for a while. It could be that accordian blinds would be all you need, or you could get some that are bottom-up/top-down to give you some privacy while keeping the light. You need a larger piece of art over the fireplace -- surely there's another place for the current beloved one. Look at the firebox for scale, think horizontal. Your area rug is too close to the carpet -- either do without or get something (a) large enough for the front feet of all the furniture to rest on it, and (b) with some contrast to the carpet. Ideally this would also introduce some accent color to the room: right now, if you get rid of the red chairs, the only unifying color is beige. (Maybe the art over the couch is bringing something you could work from.) Coffee table? lamps? Mix some books into that bookcase?