I like the idea of having a white dogwood as a specimen tree in my yard but I am struggling to find one that won't grow so large that it eventually takes the entire space for itself.

Driving around town in the spring I often see small white dogwood trees blooming in people's shady yards, and it always looks beautiful. But when I decided to get one for myself and I started looking into the mature sizes of dogwood trees they all seemed to be around 20-30' tall and wide, much too large for some of the places I have seen them in. Are my neighbors simply misguided in thinking that their little trees will stay little and not crowd their yard or other trees? Or are there some smallish dogwoods that will fit well into a medium-sized yard surrounded by larger trees?

I have a fairly shady property with many tall, well established trees around us that provide shade at different times of the day and year. I would like to have a few smallish (10'-20') blooming trees, but most like more sun that I have for them. Can anyone suggest a small dogwood, or other smallish blooming tree that would thrive in a partly shady environment? I have also been thinking about planting a Western Redbud, I think that will be a good size for my place and it should be okay in one of the sunnier spots.

Suggestions and recommendations please!