Well your long flat uninteruppted roof line makes it easy to look right over the front door, so I think you already know the answer to your question. Some other ideas: Painting the front door a brighter color would make it stand out also Put matching evergreen shrubs on either side of the door. Can't tell from your photo if there is any room or not. If no open ground then use pots. Line the stoop with a different type of material, like brick to stand out from the foundation.

i'd move the walk further to the front on a diagonal, (near left to far right on your photo) so the landscaping area could be larger and the path didnt have a sense of making a hard right angle turn to the left on the approach to your front steps....a visitor would be able to see the front door during the whole trip and it would soften that bed, you could have some grass on that side too that way.

This is an Very densely planted plan. Consider the mature size of the plants: PJM 5-10' high and wide, andromeda/pieris japonica smallest cultivars if you can find them 5 x 5 and up, lacecap hydrangeas generally 4-5' high and wide but some smaller cultivars might be available, buxus Green Mtn, 5 high by 3, common box gets 5-15' high, spiraea Little Princess 2h x 3 wide, hawthorn 20 x 20'. Think about the height of the window sills in relation to the shrubs. You can prune boxwood, but unless you really are into it, they become woody over time from shearing. One house photo shows lots of shade dappled so depending upon time of day, this will affect flowering shrubs in season. I agree that the pointy evergreen flanking the doors is uninspired. I would rethink this planting plan with a mind to sun exposure, plant size, and leaf texture. My sense is that this proposal will swallow up the house in not only an abundance of material, but in leaf density - it's all 'tight'. Don't do the walk until you figure out the plants. If you want three layers of mid sized shrubs, you may want a deeper bed which will push the walk further from the house. Then do the walk first as the prep and installation will wreck the planting bed. A 4' walk is ok, but a 5' walk allows two to walk abreast. Your house seems to have the scale to accommodate this. It's may be 'just' a foundation planting, but it will be costly and scale is crucial. You don't want to be pulling this out in five years. Also, your plant material choices will be significantly greater in the spring. Don't let any contractors tell you fall is a great time to plant. By early October the pickings are slim, material may be suffering in crowded pots, substitutions will not be optimal (cultivar/size, color, etc.). Moreover, evergreens require warm soil temperatures to establish before winter. retired professional

I like the idea of removing the left side steps. But I would put a railing there. I would also add a railing along the steps. Don't plant tall plants. They will hide the windows. The current ones need to be prune to reduce their size. I would make it an interesting garden. Maybe add a water feature or sculpture.