Analysis first, then plan, as Tookoo recommends. Use native plants, as neotoma recommends. Get specific plant recommendations locally, as Terri & sgelade recommend. Here is my two cents worth, for the shortterm. a. Remove and stockpile the lawn edging and most of the mulch back against the fences. b. Take a can of spray paint, or a bundle of surveyor's flag, and mark the largest circular or curved form that will fit within the fenced areas, no matter where the trees stand (inside or outside of the line) to form the temporary edge of your lawn area. See if the entire family agrees on the alignment or just do what looks best to you as the Senior Gardener. c. Add the wood edging to the new edge, or, it will look a lot better if the edge is not visible, using a steel edge whose top edge is down just above the grass roots and no longer visible, and not an impediment to the lawn mower. (when you form the plant beds, you will dig down a couple inches at the edge, where it meets the steel, and then slope the bed up from there, and the mulch will be contained at the level of the lawn, beyond) My recommendation, after you call in your landscape advisor, is to fill the beds totally with ground cover, beneath the shrubs, so no mulch will be seen after the two years of plant growth, using only a finer textured mulch which will become part of the soil bed. (Maybe the bark mulch will smell good in your new fire pit, along with the wood edging.) d. Plant the entire area with grass seed or sod and enjoy the beauty. The curved edge will make the space appear and feel larger and will decrease the maintenance of the smaller bed areas. On the subject of tree placement: analyse first, then plan. Look at all the views beyond your fenceline from all windows of the house, the living/ dining areas, all the bedrooms, to enhance the good views and to block the big, the bad, and the ugly. The large trees on your list will block views from the upper windows, The small horizontally branched trees will be a piece of sculpture in your downstairs view throughout the year, while their flowering and fragrance yet another reason to be alive. For instance, if you have an attractive small tree that has attractive flowers and foliage, PLUS has attractive bark color and has a sculptural quality in the off-season, you won't have to visit the museum quite as often, with a sculpture garden right out your window.

also love the existing railing and have seen steel mesh panels attached to the inside of a open steel railing and wonder if something similar would look good and satisfy safety regulations ...the mesh panel was flat dark grey sheet steel with holes punched in it and from a distance (with the white fence in front) looks like dark shadow and up close like very thick solid fly screen...an extra horizontal top rail would add more height if necessary and the result would create more shelter and privacy from the street.... otherwise a new steel fence with square steel pickets and top and bottom rails and make sure the old railing is offered for re-use or recycled

It is difficult to tell exactly what colours are there already, but I think you need to consider what kind of visual impact you want the fence to have compared to the rest of the exterior. If you choose a colour similar to the house, the effect will be a unified frontage and the look of a larger property overall, but giving the house itself less impact. If you would prefer to create a visual break so that the house retains it's dominance on the block, a darker, cooler colour would be best for the Colourbond fence. I personally would recommend blending the fence with the gate as opposed to creating a contrast (which can look busy), but it comes down to personal choice in the end. Try holding a colourbond chip up to the house from the other side of the road and you will get a vague idea of what I am talking about! Good luck with it all!

Your correct , the colours that you have painted do not compliment your home. If you want to use the tranquil retreat, and make your home more 'modern', I suggest repainting all the red trim on your home and fencing in a charcoal colorbond paint. Look at your neighbours roof in the photo. This compliments the fence colours more than the burgundy. If not happy, with changing your home, yes repaint all fencing and wall in classic cream.