First get rid of all the shutters this style of window should not have them.Take a picture showing the actual front of the house please I love the brick and IMO not a weird color at all but a nice clean looking brick. IMO painting the brick will instantly devalue the house so I would work with it. I have no idea what you mean by modernizing IMO you have a MCM house that needs some TLC to get looking good.The first thing is to redo the landscaping and I would start with just painting the disding a darker color to go with the brick. White would not be my choice for sure.These are great examples of embracing the brick instaed of painting it which BTW adds a whole other level of upkeep. And the landscaping pic is one of my faves for MCM use it as inpiration for your home

Excellent input! Yes we are getting rid of the shutters!

Love the first two pics that Patricia Colwell Consulting posted. The second one, especially, is much like your house and easy to replicate. Don't paint the brick. Start by removing the shutters.

What seems odd about the brick on your home is that it reaches so high on your walls. Makes it seem bottom heavy. Darker paint on the siding may relieve that feeling. Maybe someone on here can mock that up for you. Meanwhile, after a good rain you may be able to pull up most of the clumpy, mushroom shrubbery if you have a vehicle with a real sturdy metal bumper (not plastic) and a good length of chain. Get a pro involved with new landscaping this spring.

Here are some landscaping mock ups I did

Side of house to hide mechanicals and add a large address plaque to hide terribly placed gas meter

Front of house

Did you already remove some of the bushes? If not, that would be a top priority as well.

Some but not all bushed Have been removed. We plan on gutting all the landscaping except for the 2 trees. we also got rid of the flagpole. We plan on getting rid of the outdated sun setter on the side porch as well

I would try to mask the side porch/deck area as much as possible. Perhaps a tall modern privacy fence fence with plantings in front of it? Do you need a railing around your deck? More should be done with your landscaping than your home, it seems to me. Once you remove your shutters....I think the home will have the look that you aspire to. Get a landscaping plan for your yard!