Lil...great house and cute pooch! I love the idea of taking the grass all the way up and around. Perhaps re-cementing or power washing. I have attached photo which used pebbles and grass. Love the look.

Your drive is distracting from the real focus - your porch and double doors. Consider completely removing the drive and putting in gravel - right up to the steps and in a color that goes with the steps. Then remove the straggling plants, including the frail hedge by the carport and replace with large colorful pots of plants. Final touch - a great color on your doors via painting or refinishing. Here's an ideabook that will help you see the potential.
https://www.houzz.com/magazine/gravel-driveways-crunching-the-pros-and-cons-stsetivw-vs~1577301

Thanks they are both great suggestions, I like the idea of placing a giant urn, any ideas for what colour to paint front door and new tiles for the porch as I'm not sure which way to go?

If it were mine, I'd go and get some concrete stain in a deep brown tone - even mix in some blue and red to make sure I got a good purple-y brown and not an orange-y brown. The idea is to sort of echo the brick stairs to the front door in tone - not as dark, but give it just a shot of brown. This isn't expensive, but it will feel fresh. I like the gravel idea too. You could demolish the brick off the stairs and use them for edging, then use a creamy sort of gravel and go searching for new flagstone or quartzite cut in modern oblongs to face the stairs with a newer more modern material. Of course, the modern look you got from rendering makes me want to put a glossy eggplant color on your front doors - the carving in them is terrific, but if you are ready for something new - sw raisin or test ben moore's caponata.

I had ever thought of painting eggplant, I like the idea of trying to modernise the whole look, I was thinking painting the doors white but I am loving the idea of a colour instead

Yes I think it would be... Someone suggested an urn the the front garden, would you suggest painting it the same colour as the door iris that too matchy matchy

I also love the idea of modernising the stairs... Would a cream be too pale or would like a taupe be better?

I would do a gravel driveway, eggplant door and 3 large pots in a charcoal with tall grasses in them to keep the modern look. Keep the dark steps, you need some contrast

I like the idea of charcoal pots as you say they would give a nice modern look, is eggplant a really dark green colour?

First of all, love the doggy! AND house house looks totally new and modern since you "re-rendered" it. Great job. You can paint the porch bricks of the classic grey. Before you think of getting new doors, I would stain them a deep mahogany. I would take a beautiful wood door over a painted one any day!

You have several options with the concrete. One would be to have it power and acid washed to see if that lightens it up. You could replace the lower section, which the grass bisects, with cobble stone pavers: and
Perhaps the concrete beyond the first portion can be cut into geometric shapes and grass added:
and

Gravel sounds interesting thinking about taking out asphalt and doing gravel. Is it expensive? What are the cons, noise?

No eggplant is a very dark purple, like the skin of the eggplant vegetable.

I would redo the front stairs and driveway. The stairs and the drive way should all flow together. Pavers and natural stone combined would really set off the front with out taking from your amazing home.

Good point the driveway and steps should all flow together I hadn't thought of that. Thank you for all the comments everyone is giving.We are lucky we have such a community of people so willing to share ideas. I love it especially as I have no idea how to bring together looks I like and need all the advice I can get!

Houssaon I love your idea of cobblestones