What makes a house feel like home?

[Brimful]

I know, sorry, not an AIBU really, but can I ask for advice how to make a house feel all homey and cosy?

It's just DH and I rattling around our place, we are both quite minimal by nature decor wise and I like white walls, neutral furniture, with splashes of colour coming from paintings, cushions, rugs.

But I can't seem to make the house feel like home. Granted, being minimal doesn't help as I hate clutter but what makes your house 'home' and not just some rooms your stuff is in?

I find it hard buying anything that doesn't have a specific purpose or use, for a long time I had to budget and only buy essentials but now I'm financially better off I can't seem to break the habit of being frugal.

Hoping for inspiration!

Nice thick long curtains, and candles

Lighting makes a huge difference. Lamps rather than the main light. Also houseplants.

Cats.

I think lighting is important - use lamps to create low-level, atmospheric light in the evening, rather than bright ceiling lights.

For me personally, painting the walls a warmer, more characterful colour than white makes a big difference, but if you love white you love white!

Books are also what makes a home a home to me, but again, everybody's different.

In lounge and bedrooms Curtains, cushions, foot stall, simple but cosy furnishings.

My friends always say my house looks like I’ve been robbed because I have to pictures or photos up anywhere but I have a few sentimental pieces on display.

Cats, candles, flowers, lighting, rugs, thick curtains, nice towels and bedding, and throws.

Plants, rugs, cushions, soft lighting, candles, sentimental photographs

I think white walls are a mistake if you want cosy. It’s very sterile. Throws, cushions, candles and good lighting are a must though

Lamps for soft lighting, music and scented candles

Plants, BOOKS, more plants, orange hued lighting. And more books too.

I hadn't thought of lighting, what a great point - especially now the days are darker earlier. Maybe an Ikea trip...

It's interesting curtains have been mentioned - I have zero curtains up! Only (white!) venetian blinds in all rooms. That can't be helping?

I find blinds really cold. Definitely worth popping to Dunelm! (Other curtain retailers are available)

Books, silver candlesticks, the odd piano or two, flowers, lovely cooking or coffee smells.

Cats, plants, books and sentimental photos

Books, timepieces, candles, house plants, cushions, photos, paintings.

I am like you, hate clutter, very minimalist. I grew up in a chaotic home and I feel anxious if my space isn’t ordered and neat.
But I have side tables (which don’t really perform any function), nice lamps, candles and fresh flowers. My home is also always warm and cosy.
My fear of clutter meant I left rooms looking quite bare, with only essential furniture. It took me years to realise that rooms actually look better, and bigger, with more furniture in them. Weird.

It’ll be different according to taste but I go for

Long, thick curtains
Books
Good lighting - lots of lamps / wall lights not just middle light
Plants

For me it’s coloured walls. Georgian pastel sage green in sitting room, pale coffee cream in kitchen, yellow in spare room with desks, forest green in our bedroom, lavender in DDs.
Mismatching furniture and lamps rather than the main lights. No candles here.

Family photographs, artwork, full bookcases, nice long/thick curtains, lamps, a fireplace, fabric sofas, blankets, cushions.

I was just going to comment, photographs and lighting make a huge difference. Nice scents also, Reed diffuser will make your home smell nice for when you return from work.
Definitely put your own stamp on the place, ikea is fab for inspiration.

The white venetian blinds won't be helping.
Otherwise books, a few plants, and non-generic art work really helps. I don't think white walls are necessarily a problem, I like them, as long as you break up the space with good textiles and pictures. I also think some dark or strong colour is important to "anchor" a room, unless you are going for Kelly Hoppenesque neutrality.
Secondary lighting is really key, and a relatively cheap way to help zone your space, - a floor lamp by an armchair and side table. Lamps create pools of light in neglected corners and can make a room look bigger.
Avoiding complete matchy-matchy helps prevent it feeling like a Next showroom, which is not to say Next don't do some brilliant homeware, but when you go into a sitting room that is say mauve and pale grey, and every single thing bar the walls is mauve and or grey, including the pictures, it feels impersonal, the owners personalities and history are completely absent.

I think white walls can work but need a lot to set them off. Art work needs to be colourful and bold size wise, rugs need to have colour and/or texture, fabrics on cushions and curtains textured and contrasting. I totally agree that lighting makes a major difference too, and lamps plus wall lighting with dimmers is the ideal. White would be quite stark on the walls plus blinds - curtains would make a huge difference.

In my lounge/diner I have magnolia walls (with a plan to update to white), wood flooring and chestnut leather suite. I change the curtains, cushions and rug over when the clocks change. We are currently in the autumn/winter decor, which is burgundy velvet curtains, oriental rug and various autumnal/gold/duck egg shades for curtains. I change the art work to match (I paint which helps) with lots of autumnal landscapes at the moment. I have wall lights and central lights that dim, and three lamps, so lots of lighting and a few plants too. I don't do clutter (or at least I try not to!) but do have quite a lot of books on shelving.

Books, cats, colour. Different textures and nice spaces to sit.

Have you space for a bookcase? If you don’t have many books, fill it with books from charity shops. That would be a reasonably easy start.

If you have a large expanse of neutral floor get a bright, soft rug to break it up. Our main room is big and has oak floorboards. It looks so plain and uninviting without our rugs. They are from ikea and weren’t very expensive.

I like to display a few things that I love, obv this is different for everyone but for me it's books and a few childhood toys and ornaments. I hate generic looking things that have no function or memory attached. I agree with the PPs who said lamps as well.I have a few lamps the same from IKEA because they have a nice soft light so I have one in each corner. I like throws as well but not too many (I have a grey and white one on my sofa, also from IKEA). I have a few secondhand items also. Like you, I like plain walls and then I have colours in my pictures and furniture (sofa is wine coloured for example).