Should we eliminate the living room to expand the kitchen and dining area?

Changing needs have prompted my family to redistribute our apartment’s layout, prioritizing the kitchen space which we use more frequently.

Our family of four, including my wife, myself, and two young children, lives in a 62-square-meter, two-bedroom apartment. The common living space currently consists of an open-plan living room, dining area, and kitchen. However, the living room takes up a lot of space even though we rarely host guests, mostly using the sofa just to watch TV in the evening.

Meanwhile, the kitchen and dining area are quite cramped. The walkway between the dining table and the kitchen cabinets is narrow, making it inconvenient when multiple people use it at the same time. Since my family cooks at home regularly, we need more countertop space for food preparation, storage cabinets, and a more spacious dining area. I plan to remove the large sofa set and downsize the TV-watching area to expand the kitchen, add a kitchen island, and set aside some space for our children to play.

Since our two children are still young, they spend most of their time in the common area. I want them to have a play area inside the house where I can still keep an eye on them while cooking or doing housework. Therefore, instead of dedicating a large area to an underutilized living room, I want to prioritize a flexible space that meets the cooking, dining, and daily living needs of the entire family.

I am wondering if downsizing or even eliminating the traditional living room would leave the apartment lacking a space to host guests or reduce its flexibility when our needs change in the future.

For a 62-square-meter apartment, is prioritizing kitchen expansion and creating a play area for children a reasonable solution for long-term use? Should my family completely eliminate the living room or just downsize it? If we renovate according to this plan, what should I keep in mind regarding walkway clearance, the ventilation system, the kitchen island’s position, the TV layout, and the play space for children to ensure the apartment remains comfortable?

I look forward to receiving advice from families who have opted for a living-room-free apartment design to know if this option is truly suitable for long-term use. Thank you!

Reader: Tuan Anh (Hanoi)