I don't think the third picture (slightly lighter finish on beams) will look dated. Your ceiling is not flat, so it's going to be hard to ignore. I'd play it up and make a statement, as long as it doesn't overwhelm your space. I prefer the larger spaces in between beams and the ceiling finish (stucco?) in the third picture. The first picture would not look very French country, IMHO. Have fun with the space and if you've always loved French country (I have) I don't think you'll get tired of it...so it won't seem dated to you. Just stay with classic details and don't over do...as they say on the kitchen forum, one to three roosters, not ten :)

Your house is nice looking. It does need better landscaping. More on that later. As viewed from the street your roof is prominent. That means you can't go cheap on roofing. What you have now is not attractive. I don't know how many more years it will last but when it needs replaced I suggest architectural shingles in a darker shade.It will make a big difference. At that time you could replace the gutters on the front. They just don't look right. If you think you might make changes to the roof line that would be the time to do it. Actually I do not suggest making changes of that sort unless done for a functional reason. It is not a cost with good return on investment. Looking at your stoop I have to wonder how risky it is to change the bulb in the outdoor light. It needs to be wider as mentioned above. A path to the door would be very appealing. It looks like you live in a semi rural area with no sidewalks. How often would the path be used? You will have to decide if it is worth spending the money. I would make an enlarged stoop a priority over the path. What you have now is small enough to look ridiculous. It looks like you have some nice plants. They are not placed well and are possibly too close the the house. Relocate them spacing as suggested by Yardvaark earlier. Perennials will help the bed look more filled in while the shrubs take the time to grow. Some conifers grow slowly. Don't plant shrubs in front of the stoop or next to the steps. Shrubs need room to grow and you don't want them crowding the entrance. It would be worth investigating the cost of a retaining wall on the left side so the lawn could be more level. In the example above I am picturing the top terrace as being your lawn. Here is another area with a patio on the higher tier and lawn in the lower tier. You would have real steps instead of the silly bits of lawn. ^last one You might want to remove the lawn from the area nearest the road. It looks dangerous to mow and would be more attractive with ground cover which can include prostrate shrubs. Here is an image I borrowed from another site. It looks to me as if you could get a wider door and have a solid window to the left of it as opposed to a prefab sidelight. In doing so the door is much closer to being centered. What you have now is nice in my opinion and suits the house. I only suggest if it really bothers you that the gable is not centered. I am not a skilled artist so my mock up is very basic. I see that I did not make the stoop wide enough. It should extend equally from center and I know a handrail is needed too. If no one else mentioned it, a larger light fixture would be a big improvement. It looks like you just have an exposed bulb right now. On the right side I have two recommendations. First that you plant a tree that will stay smallish about 15 feet off the corner of the house. I would also suggest a row of broad leaf evergreens to eventually screen the view of the neighbor on that side.They came out looking columnar which I am not suggesting. Choose any shape you like. Do not add dormers. Do not paint the brick. Do not watch Fixer Upper.

I dont mind the diagonal siding. I would paint it all one color though. As for the front door, a nice bright color (house color picked first). and good lighting, power wash the concrete walkway to the door, and some bright color pots with pretty plants in them by the entry door. It is a bit difficult to determine which door to go to, so you need to make it fancier area than the other doors, so that everyone knows which is front door.

I would not do dark wood floors in a sun room, what wall are you thinking of knocking down? IMO the flooring is done after the whole space has been thought out you need pot lights all over the place that kitchen needs a complete overhaul so slow down and stop everything until you have a proper plan and IMO lived there for at least 3 months before doing anything. Put all your stuff in storage except for what you can’t live without right now. Then plan what is is you want.IMO a interior designer with experience in kitchen design is probably your best bet. I happen to love dark floors and swiffers are cheap .Take some pics of your own to post here traltor pics often distort room sizes . A to scale floor plan even better. I have to say I don’t like the step down sun room at all but I need to see the exterior of the house to say much about that. Also keep in mind interior changes affect the exterior quite often. One you open this can of worms you can’t put them back so take time to see how the house functions for you.