Renovating a 1970s apartment (~107 m²): keep the living room on the south side, or turn it into the master bedroom?
I need to renovate a 1970s condo apartment, about 107 m².
Before I lock the layout I’d like an outside opinion.
Floor plan I digitized with AI, including measurements.
Orientation: north = kitchen and the small bedrooms.
South = living room + master bedroom, best light and a balcony.
Option 1 — original cadastral floor plan
- Living room south-west, ~23.7 m², south balcony. It’s the nicest room
- Master bedroom (Bedroom 3) south-east, ~16.6 m²
- Kitchen north, 9 m², separate but tight
- Bedroom 1 ~13 m² + Bedroom 2 ~13.7 m² on the north side
- 2 bathrooms + 2 small closets
- Feels like a real home, but the kitchen is small and there’s no laundry room
Option 2 — flip everything (open-plan kitchen + living room)
- The master bedroom moves into the current living room (largest and brightest room)
- Kitchen + living become an open plan on the north side (23 m² total)
- Large walk-in closet in the centre
- Bedroom 1 becomes a narrow study
- Upside: huge master bedroom and a generous closet
- The problem: I lose the living room. Kitchen and living are joined. And it breaks the 1970s logic (day rooms south, night rooms east/north). On paper it throws me off
The dilemma:
Part of me wants Option 2 for the master bedroom and the closet.
The other part already hates the idea of losing the living room. If it bothers me on paper, it will bother me every day.
Which would you pick, and why?
Is Option 2 worth killing the living room, or is Option 1 (keeping everything original) the right choice?
Thanks