How can I (cheaply) make this large, bland space more cosy?

[Bloomp]

Its a new build, rented house. I cant decorate the walls but am allowed to put up pictures. I'm also pretty skint

I love the size of this kitchen and we use this as our living room so are always in it but it feels very studenty or something. It doesnt feel cosy at all. I suspect it will require buying some large furniture tbh but i just cant afford to right now. Is there anything i can do cheaply that will bring the space together to be more like a cosy living room?

A door curtain or beaded curtain.
Pots of herbs on the window sill.
Move the bike into the hall or shed.
Bookcase, make one from planks and bricks if you are broke, only one or two layers if you have small children.
Use warmer coloured fabrics, purples reds deep greens.
Jug of flowers collected from hedgerows on the table.

What about an open shelving unit to act as a room divider between the living and kitchen areas?

Definitely rug, cushions, etc...

Could you move the tv console though so it's at an angle to the wall? That way the to would still be in a similar position? And bring the sofa out from the wall like the pp suggested? Might be worth a try.

Taking the bike out would be the biggest thing to de-studentify!!

Id turn the sofa 90 degrees and put an IKEA shelf thing behind it as a console.

Posters on the walls? Some shops do really beautiful arty wrapping paper that looks lovely on the wall.

How about removable wall decals? Blik do some amazing ones.

Ok this is what i have so far.

Am saving £ for a shed but can stick the bike in the hall for the time being.

I tried the sofa turned at. 90 degree angle across the room with rug in front but it felt odd maybe i just need to get used to it.

Ps sorry about stretchy cat. He doesnt understand panoramic shots

Sofa with its back to the kitchen, lampshade on the light, move the coffee table in, get a rug or two and a canvas on the walls to start. kitkat beat me to getting rid of the bike!

I think curtain tie backs and having them anbit more swooshy will help too.

I would do as other suggested and turn sofa to face the radiator wall add either one or two small arm chairs facing the outside doors (keep them away from the wall)

Throw rug and coffee table, large picture on one wall large mirror on the other and a tall lamp close to the wall next to arm chair and lampshade on the ceiling light.

Then add cushions plus maybe a throw and voila!

Sorry, cross post, OP. It's already looking cosier, well done.

Have you got a "the range" near you? We were on a budget too with a new build and clean white walls. we got a giant giant mirror and two canvas prints that are amazing for less than £30.

Try charity shops for home furnishings too. It looks much comfier already.

your second photos look nice. but I think you really need a large nice lampshade and a large painting on the wall.

Yep i'll be trawling gumtree and the st vincent de paul furniture store. We dont have a 'the range' here. Most of what I do have comes from B&M which is quite cheap. I work right beside it so am in there most days a lot looking for bargains.

You can get extension cables for tv/ sky, we've got them in our house due to oddly placed sockets.
Already looks cosier though! Definitely some plants, this will bring outside in and tie in with garden nicely.
what kind of pictures would you like? I have googled free images (rhs and the like do nice botanical pictures), printed them off and popped in frames that I got cheap. You can do the same with maps etc. Apologies for lighting in pic, but you get the idea.

What about a massive IKEA Kallax as a room divider? Section off where you have the clothes horse, down towards the window?

Try with the rug right in front of the sofa, not under the coffee table. How does the coffee table look without the cloth?

Pretty plates from charity shops mounted on the wall? Looks kitchen-y, but also cosy. (This isn't my house, just found this pic online)

If you don't like the look of the back of the sofa when turned, a cheap console table behind it helps, or even a folded throw hanging down the back.

I would put the largest picture or canvas I could over the radiator (aim for nearly as big as the radiator) and maybe add a radiator cover if I had the budget (you can get them from £50 up in wicked or home base).

I agree that lamps make a huge difference to a room, maybe one floor standing and one table?

Can table cloth on kitchen table be trimmed to fit the circle? This will neaten it up a bit.
Also, if you have a large area of wall to cover, you could buy a fabric in a nice pattern, then box frame it on some mdf, or pop it in a frame. Cheaper than buying a big picture. Pattern could match with cushions etc.

As pp suggested, sofa with its back to kitchen. Maybe a bookcase or those square things from okra with different coloured boxes where the sofa is now. Big bright rug (there's a big one from ikea with different coloured buttons on it that I had in the last that's very nice!). Lots of pics, a big one or a mirror above the radiator.

These are all fab ideas. Love the fabric in a picture frame idea.

I tried the rug right in front of the sofa but the coffee table doesnt look right now. Or does it look ok?

The coffee table is a dark wood that i am planning on painting. It has loads of scratches on top so the cloth is just covering it until then.

I think the rug looks good like that. Not everything needs to be symmetrical.