I agree that the palm should go- wonder if you could donate it to a local landscaper who would be willing to dig it up and re use it? Obviously you live where it is dry and desert like, so wondering if a succulent garden would give you enough color- here is an example:

Thank you! I had asked a landscaper about moving it and he said it would cost about $500 to take it out and there's a 50/50 chance of it surviving after transplanting. So I'm not sure if someone would be willing to put in the expense of taking it out - but it's worth a try to ask! We're in the Phoenix, AZ area and so yes, it's definitely dry here! I do like the succulent idea - that's a beautiful picture! I think that might work for part of the yard but I'm not sure if it would be enough height for all of it? I guess I could mix succulents with other plants too.

Studio 87 - thank you for your advice! For the path, I was planning on continuing the slate that is on the walkway and front patio area (I don't think it shows up from that picture). I like the look of the concrete slabs in the granite though, but maybe I can do that with the slate? The flowers are so pretty - that's the full, colorful look I like and I think that would be great to border the pathway with. I just have a lot of empty space on either side. And I'm also thinking of taking out the other palms as well. They take up a lot of space and I don't think they add very much to the area. Also, I would like to make the front more modern. Eventually we would like to square out the stucco framing around the windows on the left side and anything else that will make the house have a cleaner look.

hey..

i found some more pictures based on what youre liking..

first to answer your question..yes slate would look very nice as well..you can definitely go ahead with it..
since you have a lot of space to play around with..maybe you could add a small feature somewhere like a waterbody with an extended ledge or something that doubles up for seating..i have a picture you can refer to..

like in the pic above - a trench to collect the fountain water and covered with wooden planks to double up as seating
or

if you wish to create something like this..a pond and a wooden deck where you could add garden chairs or benches or even just throw a rug with some floor cushions..

or

you could create a central feature with a pond and a fountain and border it with some grass..and definitely do the lights to add some drama to the evenings.. :)

in case you do happen to retain your palms maybe you could make them a feature point unless you really really hate them !
like in this pic below

you dont have to really elevate them like done here but maybe you could use slate to create a 10"-12" parapet wall and add the rocks with some uplights inside...and you could add a birdbath too..

coming to the house..if its the clean look you like you should definitely square out the stucco arch frames from your windows..i do agree there..to give it a more modern look you could add a simple wooden frame around the windows..wood and blocks of glass always gel so well..!!

and you could remove those bracket lights from your entry and work on some spotlights so as to give it more contemporary approach..please refer to the pic below

you could add some up lights along the path amidst your flowers..like you can see here they warm up the place..

and in case you do want to keep the lights there..you can definitely replace those existing bracket lights with something like these to make it more modernin appearance..

so..i hope ive managed to answer some more questions that you might have had..have fun and keep the questions coming .. :)

Thank you again! So much great advice! I took a couple of other pictures of the front of the house that I think might show the space better, and will also show the front patios I think.

We have the two front patios, on either side of the front door, so I'm not sure that adding more patio/seating type space would work or be necessary? The pictures of the lighting and also the more modern architecture are much more in line with the look we're after! That part might have to wait though. I do want to get the landscaping changed in the front as soon as possible and that should help a lot.

And the palms...there are just so many of them and I guess part of it is that the front has no sense of design or anything. They just don't seem to add very much. I think I'm feeling guilty about wanting to get rid of all of them! I'm just not sure it's worth it to compromise what could be done to save them.

Love the date palm. Would you like it better if is was the centerpiece of a larger flower bed? The only plant I would remove is the tall twiggy one on the right.

On the contrary I would keep both palm trees for they are perfect for creating a view that goes from the big one to the one at the back giving a sense of bigger space. Just adding the right tropical species will create a great view.

Agree do not remove those palms! Add a bit of motion to the front with a pathway edged with heat tolerant perennials from the area to add a bit of color...you need the front entrance to be the focal point...

Just need to add a beautiful paver walkway up to front door to give the front yard a direction and focal point to the front door. Add a few perennials to add Color to the edge...add two colorful pots flanking front porch.

OK, I added the sidewalk to the street and then added two pots of bougevillas a boulder of interest by the large palm. The flowers are rose moss which love heat and being neglected thought they MIGHT work in your landscape. I also put a self contained water feature to counter the large palm.

Thank you! I feel guilty telling you that the large palm is long gone! We still haven't done anything to the front, besides having that palm removed. It is better though without it - much more open. Plan is to do a front walkway and probably completely re-landscape, although we've been busy with other projects so I'm not sure when it will actually happen.

No problem, I understand - I had a magnolia like that once. Try adding some plants that love the heat and have a bit of color - like bougainvilleas, blooming cacti. My knowledge of deep southwest plants is not as strong. I just know that you can't do anything that requires watering. There is a new product a floating orb which you might also like. In the heat this feature is appealing.