First of all, get rid of (part) the railing. This way you connect deck and garden to be one.

How much is height difference between deck and 'lawn'?

Do not just make 1or 2 steps but broad plateaus to connect everything and you the already have some height for plantingbeds.

Would you be handling your own backyard maintenance or do you plan to hire service? Since you mention wanting to avoid a lot of bending, that would definitely impact your design. Would you like to keep the black railing around your raised patio? If so, it seems to me that the area around the perimeter of that raised area would be a natural site for the raised beds and would help the patio feel more "in the garden". Your photos don't show how you get to your garden from that raised area, but it's obviously somewhere off to the side. I'd suggest modifying the railing so you have access directly across from the door, with some nice wide steps to lead you down into your garden. Then you could tie your new lower seating area directly to the upper. You might want to zone so that one space is for lounging and conversation and the other is for dining and cooking.

First thing I would do is remove the shrubs beneath the window...they require too much work to keep neat and tidy. It will also keep water away from your house's foundation.

Build a low level fencing similar to your other fence to block off the AC and and still have access to it and inevidable maintenance. Add a gate for access. Then use flagstone or even a brick colored, curving concrete path leading to it...to keep it nice and easy to clean and still maintain a nice view of your backyard from the windows. Concrete or flagstone could actually fill in the entire area between the windows, covering over the patchy grassed areas. Add patio chairs and flowers in large pots if you want to add some color or softness to the area.

The rectangular exposed aggregate stepping stones are great...keep them and reuse them in a curved pattern but lead them away from the noisy AC and to a low but 1 step above-ground deck. the Deck can extend all the way along the back fencing. You can then move your dining table and perhaps lounge chairs. Make it big enough where you can move around the furniture without stepping down off the deck...perhaps add an outdoor BBQ grill.

The decking again can be trex and you could make the deck a lot bigger to keep landscape maintenance as low as possible...don't make it a squared off deck...give it a bit of a curve as you have with your existing pathway and the little garden with the hostas you now have.

Try to avoid little areas of grass...they are hard to keep mowed, weeded and watered properly. Keep your grass to one nice larger area instead. And when the budget allows add a perimeter sprinkler system for the lawn. Or at least add a standing hose pipe connection off of the existing deck so you don't have to drag the water hose from the house and thread it through the decking posts to get to the yard.

My previous home had the AC unit beside the backyard deck. When it bit the dust I had the contractor install the new unit in the side yard, on the other side of the fence. It cost a few hundred dollars extra but the difference in the noise level on the deck was worth every penny.

Thanks for all of the great feedback. It all helped me a lot. Thanks for taking the time! LRCB

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It is beautiful. I'm sure you are happy with it.

Wow, your remodel looks stunning. I love how you transformed the space into a beautiful and inviting outdoor space. Especially the combination of greenery and vibrant flowers.