Tips for making room feel cosier

[Sleepyfergus]

We rent a house which has a large living room. It has floorboards which we have put rugs down on and shutters for very tall windows. There are no curtains and I'm loathe to invest in any as we're not sure how long we'll be here plus they would be fairly expensive for windows of that height plus coping with bay window fittings.

We have a big leather sofa and armchair (club style), another smaller armchair and a sideboard. I have used cushions and throws, a fair few side lamps to try and make it seem more cosy but still lacking something.

Any tips out there for making large, high ceiling-ed rooms more cosy? If it were my own house I'd put curtains up and carpet it but no can do!

Sounds like my dream room!

How about fairy lights and lamps with warm light bulbs at a lower level to bring the eye level down. Lots of soft cushions on the chairs, fluffy rugs. All stuff you can take when you move on.

Yes fairy lights. You could just buy some material from a fabric shop to hang up as opposed to actual curtains. How about hanging a coloured voile type material on a wall to create a wallpaper effect. You can use thin pins so you won't damage the walls.

Are the chairs and sofa pushed back against the walls? You might want to arrange them closer in together, to give a more intimate feeling to the room. Add some plants to soften up the corners. Put up some pictures, and paint the walls. Definitely, definitely add rugs: an assortment of small ones can be cheap and versatile for when you move, and traditional reds are great for adding warmth and vibrancy to a room.

Fire glow bulbs always warm up a room.

Thanks all for your suggestions

Hermione - yes, furniture is pushed back against wall mainly do to room configuration (plugs, tv ariel, cupboards in wall, way door opens) as some bits will only fit in certain areas but I might try a wee move about to try a few things out.

Need more pics up, on my list of things to do. We have red rugs down and a few plants. I really do think curtains would make a diff but the cost, even buying cheap material and difficulty of hanging them makes it a tough task. I need to be able to open and shut the shutters too as to avoid draughts, and I love the fact we have working shutters too, so many houses have painted them shut.

Will need to dig out some old copies of ideal home for inspiration!!

Worth a look on eBay for second hand interlined curtains .. They seem to have a good selection of large curtains in really good fabrics for a fraction of the new price

Candles and nice candlesticks. You can get lovely brass antique sticks at fleamarkets (hint dont pay more than £15-£25 per pair unless they are very special), give them a good polish and they look fab with or without lit candles (only white candles look ok).

You need pictures, go for paintings not prints if you can- charity shops are good for hand painted pieces, in warm tones. And YY to curtains, you can take them with you when you move and old velvet curtains look great for 50+ years.

Get standard lamps that downlight so the high ceilings dont overwhelm, and a warm coloured wood coffee table brings the eye level down.

Don't forget that if you buy good curtains on ebay, you can also resell them on ebay when you move and you probably won't even lose any money on them.