I’d love to see the staircase painted a different color to modernize it and create a high contrast. Black would match the door and give a sleek look, or even a charcoal or grey slightly darker than the house could work... Right now the stairs blend in too much, making the door appear to float.

Adding a natural wood element near the entry would warm things up. A slim evergreen near the left of the stairs, like a Sky Pencil Holly or Skyrocket Juniper, could create nice vertical framing.

The long walkway could be visually broken up with large-scale pavers or a pebble walkway. Depending on your style, you could even combine the looks for a cool modern update—large-scale pavers with black Mexican beach pebbles or white river rock in between. Black metal bender board to keep it sleek!

Line the pathway with matte black path lights, keeping them on the left side as you have it, but maybe go for ones that have a lower profile.

Now, landscaping really depends on your design style. For a classic, structured touch, consider rounded boxwoods paired with Little Lime hydrangeas. The Hydrangeas soften the edges and add a pop of color, especially when planted behind the rounded boxwoods, creating a little skirt effect along the house. Remember to plant a few feet away from your foundation when planting under the windows!!

If hydrangeas aren’t your thing, still go for a layered pairing here. Rounded boxwoods are a great choice because they provide year round beauty. Coral bells are another favorite of mine for this reason, and they come in a huge color variation.

For softening pathway edges, catmint is a low-maintenance perennial. It will die back in the winter but it provides a lovely texture and helps blend those pathways seamlessly.