Deck designs

I need some feedback on the deck. My key limitation is that the deck must cover the original staircase and landing. But I want to make sure that you can't tell that there used to be a back door in the laundry room, and I also don't want my backyard to be dominated by the deck. I don't want to put a pergola over the deck because it will block the view of the oak tree.

I think the real problem is that, well, I don't like decks. I like porches and patios, but I don't like decks. They are too...modern? Not too modernist, too modern. They haven't been around for very long in architectural history as far as I know, and that makes me suspicious somehow, I guess. But I need some kind of structure to be a link between the house and the yard, and I certainly can't afford a raised stone patio, so I need a deck.

Here are two potential designs. The first is plain and open and is composed mostly of stairs. The deck becomes a landing only, with enough room for two small seats and lots of planters if I want. It is very minimalist in design and does not disrupt the view, but I worry that it's going to look like a massive staircase and overwhelm everything else with its proportions:

The second option is much more traditional, and is much larger to include space for a table for four to the right of the door. It disrupts the view, but makes the deck a living space. But I don't know if I want the deck to be a living space, or just a place to perch on the way out to the yard:

Here are two photos that show what the space currently looks like. The hose marks the edge of the staircase in the first design. I crammed up the deck space with stuff to get a feel for it:

The stone walls along the path, and in front of the oak, will be gone. The space at the left of this photo, just left of the railing (where there will still be a railing), is where I hope my rainwater collection barrel will go.