Michigan. Beautiful in the fall.

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Thanks! I have a small budget.

Paint the risers on your steps white and the step the same color as the door.

Hi
I'm not a professional but love gardening. I like Dar's ideas and think that would look great. Get the grass growing and consider investing in a few nice trees. I think getting the trees and shrubs in sooner rather then later pays off in a few years. In the mean time you can then try to bum some flowers and even shrubs off friends and gardening neighbors:) I'm always happy to share my extras.
When we built our house I took the paint chip of the siding to a huge flower center when the day lilies were blooming and picked out a color that really "popped" against it. I planted 6 and in a few years I had plenty to spread around. I still love the color of those lilies against the backdrop of the house.
I know hiring a landscape designer can be expensive but it is worth it in the long run-saving you from some big mistakes. Maybe work on the lawn and save up some money for a plan next year. Some companies are willing to design your plantings if you agree to buy plants from them. Or you could just have them design one part of the landscape at a time for a smaller budget. Definitely do the planting yourself, this will save you big bucks.
I'm in the upper Midwest also and love my serviceberries, asters, native grasses-prairie dropseed (looks lovely in a mass planting or bordering a sidewalk), side oats gramma, little blue stem, Annabelle hydrangea and boxwoods. Try to plant as many native plants as you can but beware some of our native shrubs get huge-so buy smaller cultivars or they may overwhelm you! I think you house look very nice-now you get to have the real fun.

be sure the treads of your steps are not smooth and slick. I would paint the garage door the color of your siding - it is standing out too much.

Thanks for the tips. I'll paint the garage also. Any ideas on what type of shrubs / tree you would use to soften corners?

I would plant a deciduous tree by the corner of the house. i don't know if Japanese Maples work there, but a tree that gets to be about 15 feet tall and wide, would soften the strong vertical lines of your house. Under the window plant 3 - evergreen shrubs that get to be about 3 to 4 feet tall. and anchor the corner by the sidewalk with a small weeping conifer. (like a weeping hemlock or prostrate beauty deodar cedar or. And out by the sidewalk in the right corner a grouping of 3 upright, narrow growing conifers like: weeping white Spruce, Fastigate Blue Spruce would help give the landscaping some depth. I would suggest not lining your driveway with plants as it tends to emphasis the garage. A small planting area by the corner works nicely as you can create a curved edge to help make mowing easier, but keep the plants low. Maybe a boulder, some ornamental grasses.

Thank you so much!

Wow. It's a beauty. Lucky you. I would change the color of the door and add spanish hand painted tiles on the stair risers. Good luck

Make sure Japanese Maples are hardy where you are-they are beautiful but you would be sad to lose it after a winter like this past one. If not check out Serviceberries-look for images of multi-stemmed tree form. The berries are tasty if you can get them before the birds! Put it on the corner like Lisa recommended. Other options for small trees include Prunus species (which have purple foliage) and pagoda dogwoods which can get wide so give it space. Maybe under plant with hardy geranium "jolly bee" or whatever flowers you like.

Magnolia maybe?

What color tiles?

Saucer Magnolia's are hardy to zone 4 and get 18-25' high. I don't know if that is too high/big for the spot. Other Magnolia's get 8-10' high (at least the ones in my catalog).

I'll take a look at the Service berries also.