Help with making new house homely

[mrssoap]

Help me please 😩.

Moved in 3 weeks ago, it's bigger and older than my previous place, it's all open plan downstairs, the kitchen living room and dining area all one big room, it's got wood flooring. I can't seem to make it feel warm and cosy, it's rented so I can only do so much, but please give me tips on making this big room feel a bit more homely. It's a long term let, 5+ years so I really want to make it my home!

Rugs on the wooden floors, blankets thrown over the sofa, big cushions on the sofa.

Also a renter always trying to do the same things here!

Big rugs, cushions and throws on the seating, lamps (on side tables and tall floor lamps) so you can have soft lighting around the room instead of just the big light on - makes a world of difference. If you’re allowed a few pictures on the walls definitely do that, makes a house feel much more like home. And getting some candles or a diffuser with a scent you like going will make it feel more ‘yours’

Plants always make a room look healthier , more loved and lived in (if you are good at keeping them alive that is!)

Tall, statement plants don't cost that much and are brilliant for filling awkward spaces.
What is the natural light like?

Get thee to the rugs, throws and houseplant sections in Ikea

Don’t be afraid to invest in new furniture that matches the new space. You can certainly get new sofa, tables, chairs, rugs and decorative items from Ikea for less than £1000. If you split that over 5 years, it only costed you £16 a month for a house that feels like home.

You don’t need to do all the changes in one go either.

Thank you for the ideas, a trip to ikea is on the cards I think.

@Polestar50 it's great at one end of the big room, bay window, but not so good other end it feels dark in the living room space

It sounds lovely but I get what you mean.
You need 'zones', with their own pools of light. Sofas at right angles to each other with a warm rug. Perhaps a tapestry (or an interesting blanket/throw turned into one) hung on the wall. Get texture into the room. Maybe a couple of plywood panels wallpapered in a warming tone and stood/attached to the wall. Look in the bargain basket at B&Q for odd rolls.
This time of year is perfect for photographing warm coloured leaves etc. Go to a park and take a few photos, then get them enlarged to A3 or larger to create the red/orange/rusty autumnal tones.
Look at charity furniture shops if the budget is tight such as the BHF or Debra, so often they have classic pieces of furniture that will suit your aims.
Could you stretch to a fake wood stove, the electric ones, if there is no fireplace. Some of them are very effective with just the lights on, creating a warm atmosphere.
Set lamps on timers for dusk.

@ChilliMayo thank you for that, yes that's exactly it I feel like the living space needs to be just the living space rather than all of it in one.

I do have a fire place it has a gas fire which is quite nice actually.

I'm going to place the furniture differently so that it corners it off a bit from the kitchen.

Rugs and runners are very useful to help zone a room/s especially open plan areas.

I'm waiting to see if La Redoute run 50% off all rugs this autumn as they did last year. They typically have 30% off so not full price but I'm hanging on for a bigger discount around Black Friday

I've just bought a few £7 faux sheepskin rugs from IKEA to drape over chairs and furniture to cosy my rooms up a bit as well as the throws, cushions, candles and plants mentioned.

H&M is quite good for stylish bargain homewares. There are often codes floating around. I've also had some great home decor bargains from Asda George, Matalan and B&M.

If you're willing to post pics you may get some more responses