Any ideas for lovely raised bed sides that are a little more finished or artistic than the standard cedar boards?

Yes.

Think outside the box.

Also be conscience of good architectural bones for your garden.

A vegetable garden is primarily a garden planted with annuals.
Annuals are fleeting. Bye Bye summer, hello empty winter garden.

Plan on planting some defining shrubs that will 'hold down' your space when your annual vegetables are in between their planting cycles.

For inspiration look at the beautiful Medieval vegetable gardens laid out at The Cloisters in New York City. Simple raised dirt beds lined with lovely little willow wattles.

Or google Rosemary Verey's veggie garden in England.

Or even closer to your home is the veggie gardens of Copia ( unfortunately they are in bankruptcy and are temp. closed ) but here is a link that has some photos of their gardens along with some other Edible front yard Landscapes.

http://deviantdeziner.blogspot.com/2008/07/edible-landscapes.html

I'll throw this out as a possibility - the potager garden.
A French-inspired vegetable garden laid out in a formal, ornamental style.

In a potager - vegetables, annuals, perennials, vines, shrubs, and trees can all be combined together to provide a mixed palette.

Google has many potager garden images - simple to intricate in design.

Any ideas for lovely raised bed sides that are a little more finished or artistic than the standard cedar boards?

In my opinion, for areas having a warm climate, poured concrete beds are the most adaptable to a finish that is compatible with other elements of the landscape. A veneer of stone, thin brick, wood, vinyl siding, or almost anything can be applied.

Though there is much labor in such a project, it can be DIY. Cost is a bit more than simple wood beds depending on finish selected.

Composite decking?

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How about tying this idea.

If you have the space for pots, that's an alternative that you could/should certainly consider. The only sunny place that I have for veggies is on my driveway so I grow things in big pots - much bigger than the ones shown above - mine are 20-22" wide and ~16-18" deep. I grow both annual things as well as strawberries and blueberries. Deep pots are best since they don't dry out as fast. Light colored pots are also preferred as the soil will get too hot in dark pots. On the agenda for this year here is replacing the cheapo plastic pots we've used for the past few years as we tested the concept. I'll be looking for something a little more attractive. Given our climate here, one of the great things about pots is that I can put them out for the summer but move them into the garage for the winter so the driveway is clear for snow removal. We have a rather large drivway so the pots also make it look much better for the summer!

Thanks for all the creative suggestions!

Have you ever had a vegtable garden?

If not, consider starting one behind the house.

No matter what you do, a vegtable garden will not look good at the front of the house. As suggested you can make a nice garden and sneak in a vegtable here and there without a problem.