This is off the cuff for sure, but: -- foundation plantings are not limited to yews and rhodos but can be just the idea of planting next to the foundation and disguising or blurring it. So a "foundation planting" could be anthing, and could be quite interesting and attractive, and there are lots of discussions about that on this forum. However, if you don't want the foundation "planted," for whatever reason, then you are more aimed at planting out at the sidewalk. Again off the cuff, if you have a small front yard you can get a nice sense of enclosure, without being oppressive, by plantint out toward the street and having a bit of negative space, or lawn, toward the house. Sometimes, from a "gardener" 's perspective, it can be nice to work in/on the garden from within it and not as exposed to the street. If you sit on the porch, you may get a better view of your garden if it's out a bit (with the short distances you described). You still have the option to plant "something" at the foundation if you want to, but perhaps small and more restrained, or bring lawn grass right up to it. If a fence, such as picket or iron, is in line with the style of house, then it's possible to place a low or open-style fence a bit in from the sidewalk and plant on both sides. The street side might contain more manageable plants, more evergreens--things that are less likely to run wild and make you worry about maintenance, especially if you are just learning about gardening, while on the house side you can experiment more, while still keeping the two "sides" compatible. The fence then also becomes a way to train roses or other appropriate plantings. If you determine you have the time and interest, you can always make the street side more riotous and cottage-like later. Then, as might be evident from the books listed above, another "look" is to look streetside in across sidewalk and bit of lawn to "bed" of plantings at the house. The actual measurements will be an important issue--15 feet from sidewalk to house doesn't make for much more than a strip of lawn or a small circle, and some people would consider planting the whole yard; but if done properly, a bit of lawn, assuming you can cut it, can look better and allow you better access to tending the garden(s) from both sides rather than having to wade through them. Hardscape can serve the same purpose. The smaller the yard, the more I favor planting out, since by definition you have to sacrifice a few feet of space at the foundation to avoid crowding or rot (not knowing what yours is like). When I hear "perennials" I hear months of dead/blank space, so remember that evergreen shrubs of some sort should be in the design as well. You would have lots of options, I would think. A final consideration is whether the best design would include small ornamental trees or shrubs for height (maybe only one or 2)--since these have to be placed a bit away from the house, they could then be incorporated into a planting bed. Or, the size of the yard and house may be better served by all low plantings.

I don't think stone has to be cold, but the trick is to pick a material that has some variation, so that it feels a bit natural and has some leeway in terms of "matching" the house and the environment it's in. You might try some photo searches for stone walks and see how the various approaches affect the feel. Some of it will depend on design -- straight walks and angular walls will feel harsher (or sometimes more modern), while curved walks and more organic shapes will feel softer. It depends on the landscaping context too, as plantings along the walk will make it part of the landscape in a way that grass won't. Short of your having stone on the house itself, I'm not sure there's a strict requirement that the stone "match" anything, but I think you want it to harmonize with the colors of your house and landscape. I tried to find examples that had different levels of grayness and of match between house colors/roof and stone colors. It's all over the place, they all look great. :)

If you can't afford tile, get cement pavers in a brickish color. Another option is larger square cement pavers with a row of brick between them. I'd vote for one, wide step that curves around. Something like this, except with a row of brick instead of the gravel.

I pulled up this photo. The brick is a little darker but similar to yours, I thought. I like the idea of a green for your shutters and I wondered about painting both door and trim a dark color, maybe a dark purplish almost black. I think the column could be pulled from your chart, a warmer tone than your current white - maybe Swiss Coffee. Think about whether you'd like that same color for your railing and maybe a dark brown from your brick for the treads and risers. Here's a screenshot of some greens that might work. This link will let you identify all the colors shown, if you want. I love your brick. https://benjaminmoorefrance.com/en/colors/1560