Cute thing! Try the landscaping forum too.

Shutters? And some planting a around trees. Also add a lower level of a curved bed close to front door. On both sides of front door. Has too many straight lines as is.

You can get great advice here: Landscape forum

The landscapers will tell you that your house seems plunked down on the grass with nothing to tie it down to the ground. You need strategically placed shrubs, particularly near the corners, to help with that. In large-ish beds up next to the house, like 4-6 feet deep. And that tree on the right, directly in front of the windows, is ill-placed.

Also, we need to know your general planting zone. Do you live in Montana? South Carolina? Texas? New Zealand? Germany?

Your house is so cute and tidy! I totally agree with getting new landscaping. If you keep your current door you should paint it a rich color. You have many options. A medium sage would look nice.

Could your window frames be painted, too? You could do them in a color similar to the main brick color.

The thing that I noticed first was the lack of pretty window treatments. They look very stark. I would add pretty curtains. Also, a new light fixture would be great, too.

Id like to add that I think some architectural structure to the columns to the porch might be a nice feature. It would provide some grounding I believe. Worth a photoshop trial to see how you like it. Or print your photo and cut out some neutral colored paper into column shapes and lay them on the photo.

Thanks for all the input. Sounds like I also should post in Landscaping! We are USDA Zone 8. (Texas)

I think a marine blue for the front door would look good with the brick and roof. Then, can your window frames be painted? maybe navy there, or dark green, or dark butterscotch. Paint the gutter across the front the same color. I think certain shades of red would work with that brick too

This doesn't strike me as a house style for shutters, but maybe a bit of slim wood trim around the windows and a bit more around the door -- the door seems kind of lost in the façade, added trim would make it have more presence. Something simple and fairly plain, though. This isn't a fussy house.

You could hang a piece of wall pottery on the wall on the right of the door. Get pretty, good sized pots to place on either side of the steps to make them seem more anchored and generous (or, rebuild the steps a bit wider)

Is there a porch across the front or is it just a planter ( can't tell)? I'd replace the metal post with a more substantial square pillar and maybe build up the edge of the porch to make it stand out more. I would repeat the lines of it on the other side of the house with a new planter wall, but build it a little deeper to the house to introduce some balanced asymmetry and have room for a small tree. I think repeating the straight lines in that way will work, but I would also like to see a slightly curvier, ground level bed in front of the planter -- that would be a nice spot for bulbs and ground coverplants/stone and some things like bird's nest spruce, coneflowers, hostas and heuchera. Have those beds meet the sidewalk a foot or two ahead of the steps. BTW after the first year or two, once the plants fill in and if the beds and planters are kept mulched there should be almost no weeding needed.

In those planters I would rip out the current shrubs and put a mix of textures, heights and colors -- say if it is pretty shady (and depending on your location) maybe a couple of threadleaf cypress, large hosta, a small to mid sized grass, ferns, liriope -- just to name a few possibilities. Perhaps a narrower growing boxwood at the corners. Rhododendron? Nothing that will grow very tall in front of the windows. A Japanese maple, or a simply framed trellis with a rose or clematis, to soften the corner to the right of the door and fill the large blank gap.

But overall not too crowded with plants, because you want to maintain a bit of a sense of simplicity even as you use the plants to soften and add interest.

To dress up the sidewalk you could line it with some pavers, maybe a mix of squares and rectangles, and plant some small ground creeping plants alongside.

I think this house has the potential to look really good! Hopefully someone can sketch some of the various ideas for you.

I remembered a thread in the landscape design forum where
someone needed similar help. I posted this pic which I love for what it
does to the entry. You could incorporate something like this with the
brick planters in the background. Also love the walkway.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1398857/front-of-house-help?n=21

I would not do anything to the house, I would work on the yard only. I would probably put pretty edging along the path and a tall very colorful plant on the large stretch of wall to the right of the front door.

You do not want shutters on your house, not plants that will grow over the windows. Pull out all of the old shrubs/plans in the beds at the house. Beneath each window, plant a low growing shrub, such as a Dwarf Yaupon holly. Near the porch on both sides plant some flowering plants, they may have to be annuals. You may want to use grounds covers, too; there are some really nice ones to use in Texas. The Landscape Design forum is phenomenal and has very helpful people answering questions.