Art on the fence, and I like to hang a couple of pouches of begonias on my fence. I buy them already in bloom, and in the late fall I can just through the whole thing away (actually I throw the begonias in the compost bin, but if I had an apartment I'd just throw them out.) This picture is of geraniums, but similar to mine, but mine fill in better. I had a condo balcony with a railing where I had window boxes, but the problem was what to do with the plants, and the boxes, in the off season. And planting them was kind of messy. In our last house I put a wire trough on the cedar shed. After a season of the plants during out and dying, I put artificial flowers and vines in...perfect solution! I put in fake poinsettias in December. Add some solar lights if it gets any light, or Battery-powered LED candles.

Following up on Addie's idea, if you want to designate an area for the pool and incorporate it into your landscape, why not? Then in spring and fall it could be your campfire area, and in winter you could put holiday decorations there. But my first item on the priority list would be a privacy fence. Frankly your house looks fine/wonderful to me but if you have no back yard and are wanting to get the most use out of your front yard with kids, etc. then start with a GOOD fence. It is not inexpensive. Then just prune a bit or refresh what you have. And for what it's worth, I think the tree looks like it is hugging your house, in a good way! Plus if I was a kid I would be up that tree in a New York minute. :) You don't need to do it all at once! And you can get a lot of plants and other things bit by bit as they come on sale or even for free from friends or neighbors who are cleaning up. Do the big important thing (fence) with a lot of planning and don't skimp on the money and the rest will come from your enjoyment of your private space as time and cash allows.

You can get more of your look but it will be easier if you embrace your love of blue and white and think less of gray:) On the plus side, newer design pics show lots of white, warm woods and less gray. I admit my least favorite thing about the kitchen is the paneled fridge followed closely by the over the range microwave which I could not even reach:) Actually, The first thing I would do is nothing since this is a new to you home. Then you can assess what really is bothering you, and your husband may relent on some changes, and you may have a better idea of a budget. In my own kitchen I did change the counters, subway tile backsplash and short apron Kohler Whitehaven farm sink. It is more vintage / cottage then farmhouse: https://www.houzz.com/hznb/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~110720042 https://www.houzz.com/hznb/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~109854029 If I had your kitchen some things I would think about: Compromise with the husband - Keep wood cabinets and get new counter - maybe you will need to save up and do it in a year or so, but it is a pretty, functional kitchen so waiting is not a problem. If I had lots of storage, I might want to remove some of the cabinets on the window wall and put in a larger window or replace the cabinet to the right of the sink with shelves or a plate rail cabinet. I admit mine is more for decor then use - but I love the look. A carpenter can rework that cabinet into a plate rail cabinet. That is not cheap but if I could do that in my kitchen I would, but it is too small. I would look into whether or not ordinary doors are available for the fridge. I would replace the OTR Microwave with a vented hood. I would put up a pretty roman shade. Here is my wood kitchens idea book. Maybe something will inspire. Some are new, others are older, refreshed kitchens: https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/75202366/list/wood-kitchens

I think it is not about adding dimension to the back of the house, it is about adding usable living space. What do you and your family need and want? If you would like a patio off those sliding glass doors for eating and grilling, then go for it. if you will entertain on it, then you need a bigger one. If the back of the house faces south or west, then it needs a shade structure, so think about a pergola extending out from the house to cover it.