IMAGINE this. You arrive home after a short and pleasant stroll from the office, stopping along the way to pick up something light and refreshing to celebrate the coming weekend.

You stretch out for a while in your spacious, bright, light lounge, its high ceilings and period-style exposed beams and trusses contrasting cleverly with more contemporary stylings.

From the windows you can admire the stunning views across the River Foss to Clifford’s Tower while sipping your wine after work.

Then it’s time to change. You listen to your favourite music as you shower (it’s piped in by Bluetooth in the shower head) before picking out your evening wear from a collection in one of your large fitted wardrobes.

You leave the car keys in a drawer. You have the motor parked safely in its secure allocated spot and you won’t be needing it tonight.

Because the moment you step out of your front door you are right in the heart of the city with its bars and restaurants and theatres and cinema all within walking distance…all waiting for you.

And then, later, when you’ve wined and dined and danced (if you are so inclined) you can wend your weary way home in a matter of minutes. Before nodding off to sleep in your large and luxurious bedroom.

If that is your idea of heaven (and it certainly is mine) then a brilliant new development right in the heart of York city centre could be your dream come true. Piccadilly Lofts is a collection of ten apartments formed from the total refurbishment of an old warehouse on the edge of the Foss.

Each property offers a luxurious high-spec, imaginatively designed home which respects the building’s period past and yet benefits from creative modern design techniques and energy-saving eco measures.

(And yes, the shower head really does come equipped with Bluetooth to let you sing along in the shower to whatever song takes your fancy – these are very high tech homes indeed).

“I think they are superb for people looking for a city centre lifestyle,” says Ben Hudson, of marketing agents Hudson Moody.

“They are also in an area which has seen huge improvements and is very much on the up.

“Nearby, Fossgate and Walmgate are now very popular streets with new restaurants and bars and coffee shops and all the other city centre attractions are right on your doorstep.”

But, Ben is keen to stress, it is not just about location, location. These are quality apartments in their own right and the ideal pied a terre either to come home to after work or as a base from which to explore the city.

“We’ve already had a lot of interest and from some surprising places. I have had calls from Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Dubai… places where people are working abroad but are looking for a bolt hole in York, either to come back to as a bolt hole or somewhere they are considering retiring into.”

The interest has been so keen that three of the ten have already been reserved, within two weeks of the marketing launch (the apartments are well under way and should be ready to move into by April of this year).

So, what are the apartments themselves like?

Well, let’s walk you around Apartment Number 1. You come into an entrance hallway to find the first of the luxury touches in the shape of engineered maple hard wood flooring (which stretches through other areas of the property, too).

From here you step into the large (35ft long) open-plan living, dining and kitchen area. This is a jaw-dropping space with a double height living/dining space with exposed steel trusses and three large windows giving you brilliant views over the Foss to Clifford’s Tower.

The kitchen is beautifully designed and fitted with bespoke units from Richard James Handmade including wall and base units and steel grey granite and walnut woodblock work surfaces. Integrated appliances include electric hob and oven, microwave, dishwasher and tall fridge freezer.

There is a neatly constructed study area, a separate utility room and a WC. We next find a master bedroom with double height space and roof light and bespoke wardrobe and storage space with dressing area and an en-suite bathroom with bath and freestanding shower unit.

Then comes a second bedroom with an en-suite and with two sizeable loft storage spaces.

(And talking of storage, each of the apartments in the development has an enclosed and lockable basement storage unit).

As with many of the apartments here, Number 1 consists of two levels, with the living, dining, kitchen and a master bedroom on a ground floor and with a second mezzanine floor providing that second bedroom.

This mezzanine layout works in different ways in different apartments. For example several of the flats, like Apartment 2, have both bedrooms as well as living areas on the ground floor while above they have loft storage and office or snug rooms.

While most of the apartments do have the double floor layout, no two are exactly the same, with each property having a different and individual layout to the rooms (and different outlooks depending on where they sit within the building).

All but one of them have two bedrooms with only one, on the ground floor, being a one bedroomed home.

All very different but all with one thing in common – quality touches with high-spec finishes including hardwood floorings, underfloor heating, eco-friendly lighting and insulation, integrated media systems and bespoke handmade kitchens and luxurious bathrooms.

Oh, and I think we mentioned one other thing – the city centre is your garden.

• FURTHER INFORMATION

Prices at Piccadilly Lofts, developed by Northminster Properties, range from £250,000 to £450,000 (including secure parking).

For further details or to order a development brochure phone marketing agents Hudson Moody on 01904 650650.