I like the red ones best as they go nicely with a bridge.

You couldn't go far wrong with species native to Japan, at least as a starting point.

I guess it deponds on how big of a space you have. the catawbas are always nice but quite large. My favorite is the 'pjm' great pink/purple flowers, very prolific. much more compact than catawba and the leaves are a nice wine red color throughout the winter, at least in my zone they are.