I don't think gravel ever looks natural, but that's just me. I know lots of folk love it.

Couple of questions first - is the area in full sun? And are there any trees nearby - its just that collecting fallen leaves, especially if they're wet, is a nightmare on graveled areas.

I agree with both answers above but as long as you do not have the falling leaves problem then look in the A-Z below. Go to F and front garden ideas. There are a lot of them so you will need to trawl through them to find something that appeals to you or that you can adapt to suit yourself. If the gravel is a non starter you could use bark as long as your garden is not subjected to heavy winds, in which case bark would just blow away. I look forward to hearing what you decide to do.

I have an area of large gravel and sleepers and I love it its down one side and is shady, but I agree it can look unnatural and cold as a front garden.
Do remember when selecting your gravel that small gravel will not deter the cats so go for a bigger one, I found the bigger stones are too big for them to dig in.
Some small ever green flowering shrubs could work very well such as Skimmia japonica reevesiana, S j rubella, but perennials could well look messy when not in flower and spread.

On the subject of small evergreen flowering shrubs, Sarcococca would be a good choice for a narrow front garden as they're quite tidy plants and they smell wonderful in winter.

Sarcoccocca is one of my favourite but it is a spreader so would advise you sink a decent size container in to the ground to hold it. It has a wonderful scent so plant it close to the door or path. I saw some lovely dwarf rhododendrons yesterday. They were small but will not swamp your garden at between 60-80cms when they are fully mature.