I would take out the hedge right next to the walk . Then widen the walk maybe with pavers

Instead of taking out that impressive hedge, I think you’d accomplish the same goal by adding white molding around the door. I notice that people here are so quick to rip out plants that take years and much care to bring to maturity. I understand the merits of clearing a slate, but I think if we were more skilled gardeners we’d know how mature plants can be reshaped and revitalized. Time is the irreplaceable resource. My two cents.

Although I agree that Houzz posters too often recommend tearing out well-established shrubs, in this case I find the boxwood hedge very confining. I'd remove it and, if possible, widen the path. It might be worth trying to move the plants to another place in the garden -- boxwoods aren't cheap.

Boxwood is eminently prunable. I'd shear the sides that are encroaching on the path, and consider if an angled or rounded shape would feel less confining.

Another vote to remove the boxwood. Paint the door a soft aqua.

But what is the point of pruning to perfection a hedge(s) that does significantly more for a space by being completely absent? It takes a lot of time and effort to grow giant redwoods, too. But if a pair of them flanked this entrance it would be obvious that they are not the right solution. It is literally almost comical how flanking the walk with these hedges -- times two -- so perfectly illustrate the wrongness of that idea.

It looks like your house can be accessed only by a tunnel. Yes, I know it took years for those hedges to grow, but when they’re wrong, they’re just wrong.

Pull the overgrowth out and take new pix. Your entry looks a bit "Hollywood Regency," IMO. If you could play that up it could be fun!

I would trim the boxwood a bit, but I love the formal garden feel. I would remove the potted plants by the door and paint the frame of the door the same color as the trim. You might want to consider painting the triangle the trim color, too.

The hedges do nothing for the house and Yardvaark's picture looks so much better.

kitasei2 I would love information on how to revive an evergreen hedge. My daughter just moved into a home that has over manicured ever green hedges and I would love to bring them back to their natural shape. I've never seen double hedges on a home of not grand scale. I have to wonder what was the original intent. I find it cautionary to know before ripping out what was years of growing. Perhaps they just hated mowing lawn, perhaps lawn WONT grow there...I would want to know. I too prefer the open rendering houssaon did.

Arcy you can find much more expert advice on pruning hedges than me, but I think we Americans are afraid to tame them. We just keep shearing off the soft new growth each year until they are too large for the space and then we toss them and start over with dinky new ones. You must cut into wood at done point and suffer a brief period of looking at a bare side. This assumes that the plant is one that generates growth from old wood. Juniper will not work. The other method is to get inside with pruners, loppers snd hsndsaw and selectively remove branches at the trunk. A great book for beginners on pruning is by Cass Turnbull. She taught me to get down on the ground inside a big shrub and work from there. I spent yesterday doing just that under a long hedge of old forsythia.

Whether the op likes the look of a formal hedge or not is personal taste. I leave the aqua doors and bare lawn approach to Floridians,

I would also change awnings to white plus add curved planting beds with a pair of larger lights. I like adding white front door pop out. It gives depth and dimension to a cute home.

My last home had a street facing garage and the walkway to the front door was flanked on one side by the garage and a 3 ' garden and a solid hedge on the other side. One of the best improvements I made was getting rid of that hedge and opening up the walkway and front yard.

I don't have a before picture but here is an after and an illustration showing where the hedge was and that the last owner had expanded the driveway with cement pavers. The hedge was the same as what flanks the fence in the first picture- just went up both sides of the yard.

I would remove the boxwood hedge then pause to reconsider.

Reading this thread has it sounding like some people are defense lawyers for plants and we're entering into a felony charge trial against them. It would be good to consider what the basic purpose of an entrance is and what visual message it needs to communicate to the prospective, uninitiated user. Should it be welcoming? How is that manifested? Or, should it look like one must first travel through the house's birth canal in order to get inside? God forbid if the bushes are wet and triplets are coming to visit! I think the answer is obvious.

More option to remove plants on a sides, update walking way.

I love yardvaark's "starting point."

I love the paver stone walkway! It's so refreshing and decorative compared to boring cement (like mine). It certainly wouldn't hurt anything to try pruning back the boxwoods and see if you like it. Personally I would want to showcase the pavers and the lovely stone steps. I'd be inclined to remove the boxwoods and opt for a lower planting on either side but keep the outer hedge. But that's not something you can undo, so it might make sense to try pruning first.

We took out the boxwood hedges and now looking for more advice to make this more inviting and open

"... more inviting and open" ...? Same as before ... remove rest of hedge flanking walk. Widen walk and step 8" to 12" each side. Continue sod to new walk edge. Voila! ... more open and inviting.

What a cute house. Take another photo from further back so we can get whole perspective of the house and property. Agree with Yardvaark. Remove the bushes beside walk. That will really open things up. A flared, curved walkway would look great with pavers as edging. Flat not standing up.

Flat pavers along sides concrete inside. If budget allows all new walkway with pavers.

“House’s birth canal.” Lol hilarious Yardvaark haha

I think I see a sprinkler system manifold at the porch. That might prevent you from widening the step. I agree with the ultimate goal of widening the path. Seeing the rest of your yard tells me you have a long project. If funds are low you could seed grass in the opened up area after you remove the remaining line of shrubs.

I would start evaluating the rest of your plants to decide if there are any you especially want to keep. Their placement seems too hodge podge to be attractive.

It looks so much better without the boxwoods. I would widen the path the full width if the porch and widen the step, but leave the bushes. With a wider path, the less manicured bushes, and because the front yard is so shallow, I think the depth to width ratio does not make the lined walkway feel closed off or uninviting. Removing them makes it look a little boring.

"Removing them [the remaining flanking shrubs] makes it look a little boring." One presumes that once the undesirable elements are cleaned out, one would add back in some interest, in a place that doesn't work against the qualities of "welcoming and inviting."