Cute house!

In addition to increasing the front to back depth of the planting beds (to a minimum of 5'), put a large landing at the base of the steps and widen the walkway to be the same width as the steps. You may want to replace it since it looks a bit battered, but there aren't the funds for that, set a course of brick on either side (with a strip to stabilize them) to make it look wider.

I would also take close up photos of the current plants if you don't know what they are so that you have some idea of their ultimate size and can judge if they are suited for the space. All of them appear to be too close to the house though it's a bit difficult to judge from this angle photo, and at least one looks like it will be growing in front of the window by next season. It looks like you have a good-sized tree over to the left that helps frame the house; plan to keep that since a well grown tree is a real asset.

@flopsycat1 - I agree about getting rid of the shutters and making the window trim a different color than the body of the house. We plan to remove all existing plants (except large birch tree) and redo the landscaping as well. Would you make the garage door same color as trim or body of home?

NHBabs(4b-5aNH) - I love your idea of widening the walkway. We’ve talked about removing the existing walkway and replacing it with pavers. I’ve also thought about placing small shrubs down both sides. What do you think?

The plants on the right are rose bushes and on the left are two shrubs - all will be gone. :) We do plan to keep our tree. You mentioned planting flowers away from the house. How far away do you plant them?

For the paint scheme, I'd do a medium neutral tone (some form of grey or taupe in the many stone shade tints that it can be) with white trim for some clean "pop." Personally, I like the shutters and would keep them ... or even replace them with slightly wider ones. All you need to do to fix the shutter on the left side is to add 2 or 3 more feet of house on to that side. :-)

Also, I would do everything that NHBabs said to do. for the planting, I'd coordinate 3 dome-shaped shrubs with the 3 windows. An example of the principle is the way your stoop and steps are coordinated with the door. If the door was half way out of line with the steps, everyone who saw it would be driven nuts. While the window and shrub below is not a functional relationship as the door and steps are, visually, it has the same effect. Flank each side of the stoop with colorful annuals.

Slandreas- in general, I think it’s best to paint garage doors the same color as the body of the house. The entryway, not the garage, should be your focal point. Keep us posted as to what you decide.

Just an aside but perennials do NOT require constant attention!! In general, an annual clean up/tidying is all that is required. And they do NOT need to be replanted every year as annuals do so are money savers for a new homeowner :-)

Boxwoods are very slow growing and one of the most uncreative plantings one could contemplate :-)) And they are rapidly being decimated across the eastern half of the country by boxwood blight. If we knew where you were located (larger close-by city) we could make some suggestions for size- and site-suitable flowering shrubs.

@Yardvaark - What color would you paint the new, larger shutters and front door?

If only adding 2-3 feet were that easy, my OCD would be cured! ;)

Would adding window boxes give the same feel as the dome shaped shrubs?

@Klfische - I’m glad you think our house is cute, I’m struggling with the looks of it.

Do you have a photo of the newer & wider shutters you are thinking of? I know there are multiple styles.

If choosing those colors for the shutters, what color would you then paint the trim, door, and body of house?

We have a large tree that comes close to the house, so is there a different plant you might choose to help cover up the missing shutter?

I can’t wait to change out the brass for more modern lighting and a new mailbox! I love ORB!

@Gardengal48 - a larger close by city to us would be Seattle, Washington.

Well then, hello neighbor :-)) I live on Bainbridge Island now but resided in Shoreline for many, many years.

Living in Seattle with its very mild climate, you are not at all limited by what you can grow!! For flowering broadleaved evergreen shrubs you can select from rhododendrons (come in all sizes) azaleas, Choisya ternata, pieris, abelia, daphne, escallonia, compact Vibunum tinus.....the list goes on and on :-)

Other popular plant selections in this area are dwarf Japanese maples, heaths and heathers, nandina, heucheras and hellebores. And dwarf conifers of any shape and variety. Be sure to select whatever you choose for the amount of sunlight that area receives.

I also agree on widening the walkway (and possibly reconfiguring it). But no bordering plantings. And I'd even consider enlarging the housefront plant beds to a much deeper width than just 5 feet.

If you need the assistance of a garden designer, let me know. I have any number of referrals for the Seattle area. You can PM me through Houzz if you wish.

@Gardengal48 - Hello! :)

Thank you for all the advice! I’m going to the Flower & Garden show this year and can’t wait to see all these lovelies you suggested in one place!

@Klfishe & Yardvaark - if I widen the shutters, won’t the two on the right touch? Or were you not thinking to widen them that much?

Some - but not all of the plants - will be on display or for sale at the F&G show :-) Depending on your location, I'd suggest visiting Sky Nursery in Shoreline, Swanson's in Ballard or Wells Medina in Bellevue. These are all excellent and very large independent nurseries with a full range of PNW suitable plants. Also, check out the Great Plant Picks website for other suggestions....they will have a booth at the F&G show as well.

And we are coming up on some really excellent spring plant sales - look out for dates for the Arboretum Foundation plant sale at the Washington Park Arboretum and the Master Gardeners sale at the Center for Urban Horticulture. Towards the end of March or in early April.

slandreas, it's such a cute house. To be the right size, each shutter should be half the window's width. That applies to both decorative and functional shutters. That can be hard to do with larger, double windows. With your roof color, I could see the house painted a gray-green (sage) color with white trim. No shutters...just wide trim around the windows.

I agree with GG48 to not plant along the sides of the path which will make it feel more crowded or hemmed in.

I plant so that at the plants' largest, I will still have at least a foot between them and the house. It allows the building to dry if it gets wet since there isn't wet foliage against it, and also allows for maintenance such as cleaning windows, repainting, etc.

Do consider perennials. If you want suggestions for low maintenance perennials, visit either the Perennials Forum or your local area forum, the Northwest Gardening Forum.

@Chloebud - is it easy to “beef up” current window trim? Or do you have to replace what’s there?

I love birch trees (and the dappled shade they create). Plant a few more in front of the right side of the house. And then do as some have said above--remove the shutters, bigger landing, deeper beds, etc.

some ideas

"if I widen the shutters, won’t the two on the right touch?" A general statement of advice does not imply that you take it to the extreme. You should always be seeking balance and a sense of good proportion.

What "punch" does white trim have when applied to an already white house? None! Observe houses that have exact matching trim and body colors and see if they do not evoke a sense of coming about via a government bureaucrat's decision making. In design there are trade-off's. That a different (pleasant) body color will somehow make your house look MUCH smaller than it actually is does not seem realistic to me. The good news is that you can experiment with paint colors, without commitment and for free by using one of the many "visualizers" available on paint manufacturer's websites.

Some nice paint combos for small cottages with brown roofs. No shutters.

No shutters. Here is why: Shutters vs Shudders

Agree that the planting beds should be deeper from front to back to enhance your home and change out the walkway to a wide walkway and entry something like this:

@Yardvaark, I can’t wait to try out those visualizers - thank you!!

@Denita, I enjoyed reading that article. Thank you!

@Dig Doug, which program did you use? :)

I use Realtime Architect.

I would remove all the shutters, also if there is room in your budget, I would build a porch like Denita showed you. That would move the shrubbery away from the house too. It would keep the rain away from the front entrance. Paint the window trim a light gray and also the garage door a light gray. A red door would really make it come alive. You have a cute home and just a little work would give it a lot of personality.