I wouldn’t line things up no matter their placement or planter style.

Suggest large planters on either side of door, just below the step.

Or…add a substantial grouping centered on one side only; less can be more and lighting can make a big difference.

To help balance that visual weight, adding some boulders to your garden would help.

No planters. That was easy. Too much detail with the sidelights focusing your attention at the entrance. If you remove the sidelights and choose a large modern design single door maybe something could be added. I'd have made the changes at the planning stage and still left it bare.

IMO modern doors first then see if you need planters at all. I love large palnters but they need to enhance the entry not add eye clutter which that whole front of house has already The sidelights are in an odd place too.

I don't know how much light you get, but in an area with walls on 3 sides, you might be better off with ferns next to the door. Ostrich ferns need a fair amount of water, but are pretty regal.

I would not fill the area with a collection of planters just to fill it. If you're an avid gardener and need place for more plants or want your indoor plants to get a bit of outside, then line the area with the plants you just can't do without. But just to decorate, you'd be better off focusing on filling that area of mulch with the few sparse flowers. If you expect everything to grow in in a few years and fill it, buy annuals. They're cheap and cheerful.

Well, I think I am in the minority - but I think your entry would look nice with some planters.

I just grabbed some photos of planters that I've made this year. I don't have time right now to look through all of my photos from the past three summers to find specific ones that would look good for your entry. FYI - I just started gardening three years ago - so, I'm not an expert.

I would purchase black containers. We have several black planters (15 or so) made by the same company - below is one of them. We have several different shapes/heights. They are great planters - i think they have a 10 or 15 year warranty. If you'd like, I will look up the info on them (they were recommended by our landscape architect).

Also, I'd replace the front doors - that would be a good update for your house.

Your entrance is clearly low in light, so any plants you select must keep this in mind. To me, you would better spend your energy sprucing up the sunny neglected (?) garden and instead putting a bench or a small table and chairs in your entrance patio.

I wouldn't overload the entrance with pots. I suggest tall black narrow pots with either flowers of grasses what ever will grow well in that space.

I also suggest a modern looking glass black front door and taller black sconces.

For your front garden, I would ad a mix of large rocks.