I think you like non-fussy, casual, kinda transitional(for whatever it means)..cozy and very livable..and you re not against some mixing and matching-you're not the style purist given all that-i think your chances on making your rental homey for you and your family are not only big-they're grand.. tie the colors together since it's a bit strange they have different color carpets in dining and living(do they? or is my monitor playing mind games with me?), with rugs, pillows since you seem to like them, change the chairs that irritate you to no end for something that you can live with(just store these ones safely), and then go slow, enjoy the process..travel..and bring things that you find while you travel..it'll be fun, and it will be meaningful

I'm actually a fan of benches by the front door. But I live in The Great White North and feel like it's polite to provide a spot for guests to sit and remove snow- or mud-covered boots. I probably would NOT put a bunch of cubbies or otherwise provide a "drop zone" for the kids to dump everything at the front door. That is ideally kept to the "back hall" or "mud room" if you have one. Because if you give them a horizontal surface, they will use it and you'll spend the next umpteen years yelling at them to get their backpacks/etc out of the entryway. As to the other, I've been in lots of farm houses. (Farm country, and all) None of them look like that. Especially with that cast iron railing. All of it is much nearer "Rustic Italian" or something similar. Don't feel like you have to limit that to "Tuscan Gold" paint, espresso cabinets, and travertine floors. Most of that trend was WAY overdone. So - no grapes, no roosters, etc. Go look for images and you see lots of what you have here - white walls, exposed beams and brick, etc. There is a lot to work with there - but it probably can't be shoe-horned into "HGTV Modern Farmhouse." And you really don't want to do that. It's a trend that will be passing off pretty soon, I suspect. Remain faithful to the style and bones of the house and you'll always have a timeless classic.

If you paint everything one color, it will all blend together. You won't see the panels anymore. Is that cedar siding for the outside of a house on the wall in the back by the couches? You can remove that. What is your definition of modern? Do you mean all one and fresh? I'm asking because the furniture you have isn't modern. The flooring isn't either. So, pick a nice color that ins't dark and paint it all the one color, see if you like it. If you don't, you can change paint easily.

If you don't already own this home, find one with a roof you like. Not a pro but I know enough to realize any changes to get a farmhouse look will be expensive. Just brainstorming here: Add a "point" atop each (now flat roof) of each (left and right) wing of the house to create a pair of forward facing gables -- one on each side of the single story middle section. Alter the single story middle section to add a huge attic with a point that meets the new points of the two wings of the house. With the center ridge line of the left wing and the right wing and the center section of the house the same height, you will have created an "H" shaped center ridge line. Recreate your front entry so it is in the middle of that middle section (over which you just added a huge attic). Extend the roof of that middle section as a shed roof over a porch at least 6' deep from a point on the inside/right side of the left wing of the "H" shaped house to a point on the inside/left side of the right wing of the "H" shaped house. Extend the overhang of that front porch so it continues to the front and left in front of each side wing of the house, removing/adjusting the too low parts of the overhangs on the corners of the two wings. You could leave the flat roof over the single story part of the structure on the far left at the back of the house or create another gable. Perhaps you could get a Houzz pro to do a mock up pic of those changes?