I would tile in a similar colour to the bricks over garage. I would not tile in a dark tile, because it would get too hot for bare feet.
Also purchase a storage box for your shoes.

Great I think that sounds good! Appreciate the advice :)

That's another interesting idea! The door is the same colour as the garage so that could work.

Another thought, if you chose decking you could also create a wider step across the front and deck the ‘landing space’ in front it, making your entry more spacious and cohesive.

Great idea about the decking and adding the steps,this would give a very stylish and beautiful look to the house

The second photo, bringing the decking out would look beautiful.

With those colours , I think you'd be better to go with a charcoal tile ( and a door mat to counter the heat ) .

The garage front looks really nice , as does the garage door , and the charcoal on the upstairs . I'm not a big fan of the bricks , but they are what they are , and it looks like charcoal windowsills and 'tops' around the top . The upstairs is in an off-white or maybe even getting a bit of a steel blue tinge ( I can't quite ascertain , because it appears to be shaded , so I can't quite make out the tone ) , and I personally think that is the 'weakest' part of the build .

To go light ( basically , it already is ) would look quite 'meh' IMO , and while I can understand the logic of having the wooden overlay in cedar stain to tie everything together , I personally don't think it goes well with that pattern brick , whereas a charcoal tile would .