Here is a link to an image of the front yard from across the street (ignore the purple car). Note how close it is too the sidewalk, especially, the central part jutting forward. The shuttered window is particularly exposed. Any landscaping ideas appreciated, especially those that would demarcate/add some privacy appreciated.
http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm304/Ruchju/

Here is the ruchju's house:

{{gwi:27603}}

It's too bad they put that sidewalk essentially right through your front yard. It creates a very small planting area, especially when you consider that any bushes really need to be planted 3-4 feet away from the house.

You might try something like a forsythia which will get big quickly, is easy to get (just get a baby from one of your neighbors), can be cut down very vigorously and ruthlessly, will look pretty from early spring on , but is just bare branches in the winter.

Again, not evergreen, but maybe some lilacs, instead? I like the size and form of my Donald Wyman lilac and could see it in front of the single shuttered window. The form of the lilac, though bare branches in the winter, is prettier than some.

A winterberry might work really well there, actually, if the area is not too dry. And even possibly, blueberry bushes...although passers-by might eat from them!

For evergreen, you could try rhodies or azaleas. As to conifers, I'm sure there are many featherly, light alternatives, I don't know what they might be, though.

Like the way you balanced the addition on the left side of the house with the original. How about a free standing trellis in front of the bay? Vine of your choice.

First thought: A couple Sorbus vilmorinii, with lower (evergreen) plants between them.

My first thought is that your best bet for privacy is a real lace curtain, backed by a shadow-blocking roller blind to screen the interior at night, for the windows in rooms facing the sidewalk! Especially for the window in the projecting bay.... Nice house - but definitely close to the sidewalk! I think privacy can be most effectively addressed from the inside and then you can focus on the outside from a more decorative point of view and perhaps to block access to keep anyone from stepping clese to the windows. Maybe some of the smaller types of red leafed barberry would be useful for keeping people at a distance while adding ornamental color. Then you could also add a lilac or two by the window that is further back. Lilacs seem to go nicely with old-fashioned-looking houses.