It would help to know the climate, the orientation, the view, the country, etc.

I would only use retractable awnings. French doors would be great if the deck is large enough. The brick seems out of place for this style of house; kind of a dumbing down of the International Style. But it has promise if you keep it clean and white.

The home is located in Eastern Tennessee, USA. It faces north. The deck along the front is not that large maybe 5'w along the front elevation. 15' along side elevation. The home has two sets of french doors that open out onto the deck on the front elevation.

I live in FL (moved from TN), in a townhouse complex, the end units did not have a covered top level. The HOA had the 4 end units add awnings. I took a pic to give you an idea. I think metal awnings would look nice. The porch in the pic is 6ft wide.

Are those french doors all along the top level? What do you think of adding shutters to each side of those? If you like the idea of shutters it would go well with the brick and vinyl.

The style of the house is modern, but some standard finishes and conventions were used for whatever reason. I'm talking about the railing style, the trim-matched garage door color, etc. I think you're going to want instead to treat the lower level as a unit, and the upper level as a unit. I'm talking about a Dwell-like feel.

As to the lower level, I think ultimately the brick might need to be painted/stained, but before doing that, look at painting the garage doors so that they blend with the brick rather than contrast. Another option would be to do some sort of cladding on the lower level, to include the garage doors, for a seamless look.

I like the idea of French doors on the upper level. And I can't tell what's going on with the railing, but it could eventually be swapped for something more modern looking, with beefier posts than the 4X4s there now.

As for covering the large deck area on the side, I think that will be tricky with the slope of the roof. You might want to consider using sail shades. I think they'd work well with the style of the house, and would give you the versatility you need for your particular set-up.

Here is a link that might be useful: sail shades

Thank you all so much! Yes there are two sets of french doors in the middle of the top level. I really like the sail shade idea and would like to see an example of the cladding on the lower level. I have attached an updated photo, the posts are actually 6x6