Can this possibly work?

Most people prefer closets and privacy for their bedroom.

Wow. What a beautiful apartment!

Really. Great paint job, great colors, nice layout -- and the kitchen "open" just ENOUGH. ;)

Can you flip the LR and BR? Of course not, unless you like having a "dining area" in your bedroom, guests walking directly into your bedroom from the hall, and you like having your stove being the last thing you see before slipping into dreamland.

I know... it's nice but it's such a drag that the LR has now views, it's actually almost pitch black without lights.... Why are some many pre-wars buildings 1BRs like this i.e., views from BR but none from LR?

"Why are some many pre-wars buildings 1BRs like this i.e., views from BR but none from LR?"

Several reasons.

Many of these "prewar" buildings (like those in the Financial District) were never intended as residential dwellings in the first place.

Many other prewar buildings were actually tenements, and traffic flow and light for poor people were not high on the priority list.

And still other prewar buildings have some apartment lines that simply don't have as good light and views as other lines. Not everyone in a building can have a "view".