I'd take off the shutters. They are so big they almost look like siding

Remove the shutters and widen the steps to be as wide as the porch, Do you have a back yard IMO the loungers do not belong there . I would rip out the paving stones and figure out why the grass is totally dead in that patch. Then look at foundation plantings along the front or a porch that extends all across the fornt for some seating not loungers. All those hedge things need removing too.Could you maybe give us a bit more info and a pic further back too Remove the tree that is hiding the left side too.

Whatever that green monster on the left side is, has to go ASAP. And the shutters. The steps to the porchlet are very small. They should be replaced with steps as wide as the porch, and a new, wider sidewalk poured. Maybe edge it with bricks. You have room for a gracefully-swept sidewalk to the drive. I agree that you should reconsider the placement of the loungers and remove the paving stones.

How handsome your home could be!! It looks like a nice well-kept place. It just needs some love.

I would rip out those stones, and make that whole area garden.

You could run grass on the right side of the pathway for a couple of feet or more

in a curved shape,

along with grass to the right (near driveway). Then bring in lots of

fresh dirt and compost and plant new garden. Of course tear out

the existing shrubs.

Your home is adorable. Everything depends on budget & your willingness and timeline to change certain things. Removing that big shrub that is blocking left side of house will instantly improve curb appeal. I think the shutters are overwhelming, and the mock up with them off looks great, but maybe you like them. But those are 2 things that won't cost anything.

Is the front yard the best place for the chaise lounges?

Start by unsmothering the left side of the house. We can't know what's there to deal with until we see it.

^Nice from Doug. Agree with removing the shutters.

Remove the shutters and remove the tree that is obscuring the view of the left side of the house.

You will never go out into the front yard and sit in that bench. What is the view of, besides the driveway and road? The house is really cute with the shutters. A prettier front walk would be great.

Absolutely get those horrible looking cabinet doors off the windows. Get rid of those disgusting patio chairs. I never understood this. Why would someone put chairs in front of their house. Do they get a kick out of watching their neighbors or the road? It only makes sense to have if there are nature landscape in front of the house. But you want to make this house look modern. It has to go! Not sure if you can change the color of the roof easily (black would be best), but if you can't, you will need to make the house make the roof look modern. If you can't take care of your yard, since it looks patchy and sorta of lifeless, go for concrete. If it is too expensive put mulch. Then put modern stepping stones similar to this https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/151433606192940738/. But there are so much you can do with stones for yards to make it look modern. Just search for pictures and choose one that looks moderns and works for you. Go with black framed picture windows. Every modern building usually goes with picture windows and it makes it look modern, because it does not have yucky bug screen and gives a clean look. Stucco the brick walls, if you don't like this option since its hard to maintain, go with https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Exterior-white-flexible-wall-cap-cultured_60706118419.html or something similar. Stopping here because there is too much that needs to be done.

For the window panels that are were removed look https://allurausa.com/blog/house-siding number 4. The window has large natural wood frame around the window. For your case make the wood frame is like siding of a house and matches the height of your windows and across whole front the house, because you have so many windows in the front.

I don't think you can say that the bench will not be used until views from all angles can be seen. My impression is that there is a good deal of protection from the street. In which case the bench might be used often.

Thank you all for your suggestions. Here is another picture from a little further back. The house is in Avondale Estates, Georgia (zone 7).The house is in an historic preservation district, so I'm not sure we can remove the shutters (for sure it would require approval from the historic preservation committee). I'm sure they would have no issue with larger steps and I can see where that would be a big improvement. We have someone coming out this week to give us an estimate on removing the existing plantings. We only just moved in this week. We can't imagine ever actually using those chairs ( left by the former owners). I'm not sure we have a budget for redoing the sidewalk in this phase ( as you can imagine, there are lots of other things that need attention ( and money) in a 60 year old house. Keep the ideas coming. It's a little overwhelming so we really appreciate the input.

without the shutter s....

The tree or shrub closest to the house could possibly be pruned to reveal a trunk and not block the view so much. Have you identified any of the plants? Is the neighbors driveway behind that bed?

The large tree is a holly. I will take a good look at it with a view to whether it would be attractive and not to over whelming if it were simply limbed up. ( great suggestion). The rest mostly is a mixture of overgrown camelias and azaleas - some are very woody and leggy. Also, one more large holly. It's possible that one or more of those other plants could be pruned and serve as a back drop for some lower, mixed plantings. I'll take a closer look before having everything hauled off. Thanks!

That is the neighbor's driveway behind that bed.

That bed may have been an attempt to create some privacy from the neighbor on that side. Camellias can be pruned heavily.

Thank you everyone! I took the shutters off the picture window and left the sides. What is everyone’s thoughts on that?? Also need a color if we are to keep them and a color for the front door. We live in an area where we can be a little funky and I am really liking this periwinkle but everything online says black shutters

I would really remove the remaining shutters, when I first saw the house, I thought the shutters were siding. Imagine the shutters covering the windows--that's why they don't belong on those large double windows (unless they're functional and accordion-style).

I like the current door color though a fun, historical green would look great with your brick.

Seems it really just needs landscaping, a larger, curved walkway and wider steps. Cute house.

Dark green with red brick

It's already looking much better! And I think the other shutters need to go too. No way were those shutters historically accurate for the house design. Glad you were able to get rid of the green monster on the left. You have a great home...just needs a good landscape and hardscape plan.

Not the best with paint schemes, but defiantly a nice paint on the home and the door.. for the door something bold.

Oh the house is so cute! No shutters.

Such a cute house. Looks great with more of it showing. Agree with no shutters on the other windows. Just not the right size or style windows for them.

If you leave the shutters, paint them white; however, it would probably look better to remove the shutters and add a white frame around the existing white window frames that have shutters that, if hinged/closed, wouldn't actually cover the windows.

Dig Doug's Designs has great ideas. Guessing there may be steps behind the bird bath to reach that front yard patio sitting area; however, you really do need to decide how much time and effort and energy and money you are willing to spend on an ongoing basis, not just to create but to maintain, whatever landscaping you decide upon.

Would create a larger front porch with concrete floor -- all season sheltered seating -- before deciding on landscaping. If the usable floor is at least six feet deep, you could have room to walk the length of the porch and any bench or porch chairs on it.

You could extend the roof from the left side of the portico all the way to the right front corner of the home with a small forward facing gable over the front entry and a hip corner on the right side. You could stop the porch floor short of the corner and have the porch roof cover the steps on the right end of the porch as well -- useful in really bad weather and if you might want to add a carport at the end of the house later.

For safety sake, would add a railing for the porch and both sets of steps.

By adding steps across from the front door (in addition to steps on the right end of the porch), the sidewalk leading from the front steps (steps across from the doorway) that lead to the driveway would be creating a planting area between sidewalk and porch. Have that sidewalk lead to where visitors would park if they stopped because of your own vehicles parked beside the house and its porch's side steps.

Might consider creating a very short (one step down) retaining wall on the road side of the sidewalk so your sidewalk from front entry to driveway would be closer to level and could have a planting area between the sidewalk and the front yard.

Aucuba bushes, which keep their leaves and look good year round, would be worth considering for a hedge by the porch -- if, of course, they'll grow in your planting zone.

The shutters do not suit the house. I still think they should go away.

We are now ready for landscape design help. We have removed all of the shrubbery on the left side of the house. And all of the pavers have been moved to the backyard for future use. ( unless someone has an idea of how they could be used up front. Although I understand that a curved sidewalk would be an improvement over what we have, there is no budget for that right now. The plan is to resod in the spring. This is north facing, so very shady. I have so many design dilemmas!

1. To the right of the front porch:
   If you look at the second and third pictures in my original post, you’ll see that the area to the right of the sidewalk is huge. I purchased a green Japanese maple ( smallish weeping Viridis) to put in there somewhere. Should I leave room for more grass on the right side of the side walk or just plant the whole thing?

Also on the right side of the porch, there is only about 39” between the ground and the bottom of the windows. Need suggestions for what to plant there that wouldn’t need constant pruning ( don’t like gardenias because the brown flowers stay on the plant).

If I plant low shrubs under the windows does everything else planted in there need to be as lower lower or can I punctuate with some taller shrubs as I get further out. Any suggestions for a mix of shrubs, or even forms, would be appreciated.

2. To the left of the porch.

If you refer to the first picture in this string, You’ll see that a very large bed of shrubbery was in front of the house. Once we cleared that out, there is now an extremely have extremely large area (about 28 feet from left to right and 36 feet from front to back.) . Because the house is small, I’m thinking of that bed somewhat narrower so that it isn’t so much in front of the house, but more to the side.I already purchased a Japanese stewartia to plant there ( sale at the nursery).Etsy sale I purchased 234 limelight hydrangeas.

Also, to the left of the porch, there about 5 ft between the bottom of the window and the ground. Looking for suggestions on what to plant there. If I plant something different here than on the right side, would I want to somehow use some of the plants from the right side on this side as well to create balance? Any ideas for plantings in this area would be appreciated as well. I I did see some soft touch mahonia that I loved and wondered whether they would look good under the windows on the left, with maybe whatever we plant on the right side in front of those. Additionally, I would really appreciate suggestions for what to plant in that left corner.

Thanks for your ideas!

A long term goal should be to widen the steps to the width of the posts.

I would plant lawn to the right of the path.

Stewartia is a tree. I don't understand how you mean to use it.

Widening the steps definitely is in the plan for next year. I'm planning to "fake it till we make it" by putting a pot or planter in either side for now. Here is a new pic with all the Vegetation gone from the right side. I intend for there to be a long border along that left side that is integrated with the foundation plantings. I was going to use that Stewartia as one of the anchors in that water in that border on the left. I'm thing the border will be not as wide as it was previously . I am starting a new post to clarify some . Thanks for your input!

In the post above I meant to say with all of the vegetation gone from the left side

I would lime-wash that house in a second. It would be an inexpensive DIY project on a small one-story cottage like that. It would stand out more against all the trees and create a lovely backdrop for all the new landscaping you'll be adding. That redbrick is nothing special. Your house and the neighborhood look really cute. I would have the roof cleaned also.