I would use a warm white, by that I mean one that has a slight tinge of yellow you can barely see. That way you'll feel like sunshine is in the room. Is that your own rug? Do you have budget limits? I see sliding doors, is there a balcony? Your big concern is the large amount of black in the room. Can you separate the desk from that table? You have only two walls to use for placing furniture and one of them you are using for sleeping. Can you move the folded futon to be placed in front of the far right door of the closet. Then place your desk out a bit from the wall with the futon was face the desk toward the room and a chair against the wall to use for seating. If you are short on funds, yard sales and thrift shops are full of interesting pieces that could work well. Also you could find a few items to place on your balcony to make a comfy visual. A few plants would perk it up. Maybe framed photos of your trips on the wall. You can find wonderful large posters at craft stores at good prices. Even dollar stores have items you can use. I can recommend Benjamin Moore marscapone paint as a wall color. Get a chair for the desk in a fun color or put fun color cushions on it. Get it painted and then more can come in and give more hints.

I thought I'd never meet someone more spartan than my husband(before we started living together lol) but I think now I did:)

Do you need something else? Is your coffee table also where you eat, or there is a kitchen with the little eat in space that we don't see?

Yes I think photos you took in different countries will be fabulous, personal and will make your room much more interesting to you and to whoever visits.

(I had a roommate in the dorms..all her wall was covered with such photos..I never got tired of them)

If I understand correctly the furniture is in the middle and the floor is covered because you're preparing to paint?

If yes-then the console with tthe TV gets pushed to the wall..does it have opening from both sides? if only one-obviously I'd have it in the front when reachable.

You have a lot of equipment,, cords, etc. Try to hide/corral some of these..baskets, trays? will be more tidy, easier to locate. and a way to introduce a bit more texture/color. I'd go with something light..or white..or shiny(metallic). your choice. or all of them.

Then coffee table, say, will go next to your futon in the day time.

I guess your bedding is in the closet? you can find a throw for the daytime as well to put on it..again, a bit more comfy and useful too.

Agree with Yayagal on a plant/plants. Pick something easy to care.. I swear by pothos, jade, ficus, philodendron, aloe,..obviously look at the sizes..here's the helpful list (don't believe everything they say though..my fig tree is doing great but it's probably the right amount of light and warm climate)

https://www.today.com/home/easiest-indoor-house-plants-won-t-die-you-t73006

(aloe is very useful to have in case of a cut or a cold..))

if there was something else you'd prefer to have in the room(storage, sitting, you name it..) what that would be?

Maybe look for a stackable coffee table, so you get two surfaces to use depending on what you use it for? takes the same amount of space.

You can also try and see whether you can find such table or maybe a small etagere (another storage space) too, in lucite, or clear acrylic. Some people hate it, but it does give more feel of a space being transparent.

Do you like rugs? Frankly I'd get a rug even just to have another layer under the futon. But. You know your needs better.

and yes, if you can get some use of that balcony(can't see how narrow or wide it is) that would be cool. Your room is all what you see from it..to some extent. I mean your feel of your room. So use your balcony..plants, tiny sitting place if you can squeeze it.

Yes, yard sales, flea markets and vintage shops can be places for great finds(and interesting experiences too). And if you visit many places and countries-that's a great place for finding art or local crafts for example. Small things but they will enliven your place, same way as you photos will.

oh I forgot. A lamp! I think: maybe a floor one that has several bulbs and you can play with the amount of light and also point it? both mood and task lighting

something like this but there are obviously many..check eBay and Etsy for these, you'll see many cool ones while searching

and I love this one..no, not cheap, less useful..but it's funny, happy, and a cool concept..if I had a room like yours I'd get it..there's some similar thought between your room and this light, even though I don't know yet how to explain it.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/490348222/knitted-floor-lamp-modern-knitted-lamps?ref=related-4

sloedjinn very well might be. Well I hope the OP will be back and give us some feedback, then we'll know more

Wow, thanks for all these super detailed answers.

With all these questions I realize that I should have been more precise in my statement.

I have just recently moved to Japan and live in one of those 20 sqm apartments.

The other room I have is already finished (with a shelf, kitchen, table, washing machine,

fridge etc.), so this one is my "living room" where I spend most of my time at home.

Though it doesn't really feel home yet so that's why I ask here.

Everything I have in here were garage sales/gifts or super cheap. The floor is Tatami

(Japanese rice mats), and since I like the feeling of walking and sleeping on these I

don't really want to cover them with a rug.

I talked this morning to my landlord and painting the wall and he said it is possible,

but it will be regarded as damaging the apartment and I will have to pay for restoration

after moving out.

I'm not really on a budget but as a student every ¥ counts of course.

I have actually a quite big balcony, I would say around 1mx3.5m, but a part of it is

covered because of the outdoor part of the air conditioning.

All the furniture is movable. I don't really need any more per se, but if it makes me

feel more comfortable then I will consider it. Right now I'm just trying different

layouts.

I really like the idea for plants on the balcony and in my room. I will definitely try that.

And yes, sloedjinn is exactly right :)

I admit that the knitted lamp is quite cool but a bit too expensive for my taste.

Thank you for answering! OK now knowing you have where to sit and eat I feel somehow better..:)

Of course don't cover Tatami with a rug, they are rugs already. As long as it's comfortable. Sorry for not recognizing them, mentioning paint and furniture pushed together in the middle confused me.

"I talked this morning to my landlord and painting the wall and he said it is possible, but it will be regarded as damaging the apartment and I will have to pay for restoration after moving out."-ok, that was very informative of him lol. then skip the paint unless you're prepared to pay first for paint, then for restoration, and continue with the rest of your plans.

(the knitted lamp is expensive to me too, lol, even though it's been a long time since I was a student. just sharing)

plants and pictures alone will transform your space like nothing else

do get a light though I think..just much cheaper one. My floor lamp is mid century modern, 3 way switch..it cost me 120 dollars several years ago, and I love it. You can find a much better deal still, or look for table lamps if you're ok with taking space on your table-these can be really cheap. And very cool too.

(almost all our lights are vintage, I generally find them being better made for less price. But I have no idea how things are in Japan. Maybe they're ahead of us in this price/quality thing)

Looks like you love your media! I personally like to put my corded and media gadgets in some type of basket or plain box holder when not in use. Gives a simpler, more peaceful line to the living area. Also get some cord covers so not so many cords jumbled about. Do you sleep in this room? If so, I would divide my sleeping space from my living space. If you sleep on the futon, maybe look for another comfy chair to sit in while using your media to go along with the futon. Also will help when you have guests!

Yes I sleep in that room. But splitting it is not really possible since I have this room and another one that is around half of this size. It is still a bit too early to think about guests for me :)

The Futon is usually inside the Closet, but if it is put out my room looks like this right now (I rearranged my stuff)

(Yes, the cables are still lying around, I will store the somewhere but was to lazy to do it today)

My main plan for now is waiting for the pictures to arrive (I ordered around 200), and looking for a lamp and some plants next weekend as soon as I have time.

Afterwards I plan to rearrange the furniture so that my small table is in the middle of the room with some sitting cushions around it for guests.

(just to confess I thought the gray chair IS the futon...))

it's much nicer already! good luck on finding cool lamp, plants, and sorta-a-basket/box for cords! please share with us your progress, and I'm sure the impact of 200(!!) pictures will be huge

I wouldn't paint. I'd hang large format prints.

What's the rental policy on hanging pictures, i.e. nails?