You've got lots to work with. For starters, trim the shrubs down to the same height as the white fence across the sidewalk - they are hiding your house and look overgrown. I'm assuming this is a shrub that can take pruning. I like that you didn't cut it in a rectangle, the rounded edges look more natural.
Second. You need a rototiller and a copy of Tracy di'Sabato Aust's book Designing the Perennial Garden. In there she has a recipe for amending soil and what amounts of material. The soil in front looks very old, compacted and nutrition-less. It needs to be dug up, rototilled and amended with lots of organic material. You may want to just remove the brick edging. Its not really necessary once you have plants established to hold the soil down. I like to use composted cow or horse manure, a little peat moss, leaf mould, etc when I amend.
For plants - well - you would have to start with what do you like, how much time are you really, really willing to spend year in and year out on maintenance, what zone are you in, how much rainfall do you have, etc. Its clearly a full sun exposure so you would want plants that are drought resistant.
Have you contacted your local Master Gardener group or local university or botanical garden? Usually they have bulletins for free that list plants that are suitable to your area.
Good luck and have fun!
