Ditch the edge to edge carpet for starters. Change the paint color....Lose the fan for a pretty light fixture or simpler fan.

Beyond that? We've no clue what you mean by "update", we have no idea your style preferences.......

and the answer to ruining the fireplace is no, please.

The front door could use and update. : )

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6411000/how-to-houzz-how-to-ask-questions-how-to-get-helpful-answers-and-e#28784466

How old is the house?

New flooring, paint, and lighting would be good updates. Sparkling clean windows will look good.

I just bought the house at auction. it was built in 2000 Popcorn ceiling will go,

Don't plan on how you are going to renovate or update the living room. Move in. Live in the house for 6 months. Decide what you love, hate, like, dislike about the way the home functions. During this time think about how you want the various rooms to feel. Do you want energizing or relaxing, cozy or modern. What fits your personality? Decide what colors you love and what things have to stay. Determine your budget for renovations.

After this it is time to make a whole home renovation plan. You may only need to renovate one or two rooms or may have a lot more that needs done to achieve your goal, but for the end result you want rooms that work well together.

Often, when someone starts with one room and doesn't think about the rest of the house they end up boxing themselves in based on those singular decisions or they end up with rooms that don't work well together.

I would just change the wall color - to a lighter neutral in same warm color family, or maybe a light shade of taupe. Alternatively, the first wall color I thought of when i saw your space was blue. And in the visual below, I used PPG ”Ocean Drive.” The carpet looks new, and carpeting has certain advantages. In visual, I also brought in a chandelier; or you could bring in a more updated fan. I don’t mess around with scraping popcorn ceilings. I recomnend covering them with dry wall, or just leaving them.

https://www.lampsplus.com/products/milanese-37-and-one-half-inch-wide-black-candelabra-12-light-chandelier__96c29.html

I would go with neutral warm off-white

Calm BM

American White BM

Based on the picture, it looks very livable as is while you prioritize what you need to do to the house. If it was an auction sale, there might be some maintenance neglect that will take priority.

Is it one confined room or does it open up to the kitchen or other space? The tan color is very 90s, as mentioned above, a lighter creamier wall color would be an easy update. As would changing out the fan and removing the doorway trim. I would also put a less fussy front door on your list.

In general it will depend on how much of an update you're looking to do on this space. However you might look into removing the decorative aspect above the passageway, then removing the fan and replace it with a chandelier, and then update with paint. We also might suggest updating the flooring but that will depend on your budget and needs. Please see our designs here for more ideas on how you could update your space.

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