I should add that the white *may* change, but that's probably a few years in the future. I'm open to suggestions for color changes for the front door, garage door, and trim. We were considering a light gray.

Suggest removing the long boxwood as it accentuates the long, low profile of your house . Replace with upward growing, matching shrubs or dwarf trees either side of the window and possibly to the left of your peach tree. Another attractive tree or shrub by the right corner of the garage would soften the corner and give some privacy. Budget permitting, you could use pavers to replace the walkway and extend it to the garage wall and to the right of your walkway so it includes the entire porch area. A bench or seating area and potted plants would make a welcoming entryway and a place to sit as you contemplate what to do with the large front lawn.

What you have so far is a great start! A pop of color goes a long way though, so I think your idea to add the magnolias is a great one! If I were to suggest where to place the magnolias though, I would suggest placing them closer to your home, maybe add them to the empty spot next to the garage? A bench would be a nice touch as well! I would think about maybe adding some flowers in with the bushes that outline the front of your home as well. As for the yard, you could always think of a flower plan that involves the same flowers as by the garage along with the same gravel you used or mulch and a few bushes. I would outline the scheme with some small rocks, as it will highlight the section.

Whatever you decide for the garage, I would also paint the trimming and front door the same color as well, but that's just a suggestion! It sounds like you have a good game plan so far, I hope that helped!

I would LOVE to replace the walkway with pavers, but that's definitely outside of our first-time-home-buyer budget. :) We pressure washed it and are considering painting it; do you have any color suggestions? Or is painting a concrete walkway just a bad idea?

Here is another photo showing just how empty the front yard is, all the way to the street:

I really don't know where to even begin with the empty yard!

Seating among the magnolias would be lovely! If you do take the boxwood out, not sure if it could be successfully moved but perhaps part way to the street would create a divider for the large lawn area and you could landscape the parts separately and in stages. Do you have a friend with a backhoe? Such a large area can be overwhelming so breaking it up somehow would make the job more manageable and create and 'entry room' effect.

I do like the idea of breaking up the yard. Maybe we could use a hedge to create a sort of courtyard feel, without actually visually closing off the yard. We did plant a hedge to the right of the house, just outside of the photo's edge, to obscure the neighbor's side yard, which resembles a used car lot.

I just hate to paint the cedar. I agree that it is pretty dark in the entry, but I just can't bring myself to paint the wood. And I think it looks very nice when the porch lights are turned on. The light above the garage is on the list to be replaced! No idea what style to go with. I hate the basic flood light that is up there now and I'd like to put up something more attractive. Any suggestions?

Painting concrete is a maintenance issue every few years because the paint cracks. I would suggest a sculpture for your gravel area or a group of boulders. Unless the bench is sculpturally interesting. I think something visually appealing would be nice. Lines of hedges will accuentaute the boxy nature of the house. Curves of planting beds might soften it a bit.

Really, consider painting everything the same color, except make the front door a unique, bright color. I see it in a charcoal gray with a lime green door.
Frontyards are usually a waste of space. See how close to the street you can build or plant a barrier. Put in a welcoming entry gate, and an unobtrusive driveway gate (maybe a slider) and make the yard into an outdoor living space. Plant some big trees around a central patio area, and make a secondary smaller sitting area over to the right side.
I don't know what your climate is, but a nice koi pond would be beautiful, and bright green japanese maples would look striking against the grey walls.