Enjoy the New York state of mind at this designer apartment in Norwich, not the Big Apple, for sale for £425,000-£450,000.

Norwich Evening News: Inside the open plan living spaceInside the open plan living space (Image: Archant)

If you are looking for a home that is completely different which offers that 'loft style,' industrial warehouse feel which really is rare for Norwich, this penthouse at The Factory is for you. Property editor Caroline Culot went to visit the designer pad that transports you to London or the Big Apple, for sale for a guide price of £425,000-£450,000 with Pymm & Co.

Norwich Evening News: The then new drawing office, pictured in January, 1957 showing how packed the room was with draughtsmen.The then new drawing office, pictured in January, 1957 showing how packed the room was with draughtsmen. (Image: Archant)

I remember visiting the very first apartments being created in the Factory and instantly you knew this development was something really different for Norwich. At the time we were still only just catching up on the whole 'loft-style, lock up and leave' lifestyle and suddenly we had 24 apartments in a factory building with its steel girders and industrial setting all intact. The feeling evoked is all down to the building itself which was a new state of the art drawing office for the designers of Laurence, Scott and Electromotors which opened in 1957. It boasted innovative 'shadowless lighting' and uninterrupted floor space – no pillars nor upright posts so as not to impair the brightness and the space, all to allow the designers, packed in with their large drawing boards, the best conditions in which to work. See the photo from January 1957.

Norwich Evening News: The master bedroomThe master bedroom (Image: Archant)

Innovation was key to the company – long before this creation, the firm had made about £1m worth of shells for the First World War from home made tools in two corrugated tin sheds and as it expanded over the decades, designs came out of the Factory building which contributed to the Royal Navy's submarine fleet and the excavating machines for the Channel Tunnel. So, as well as buying a property which is unusually spacious and light – and don't you just love the scalloped edging over the top of the building which makes it unique – you are investing in a chunk of Norwich history too.

Norwich Evening News: Gorgeous interiorsGorgeous interiors (Image: Archant)

Norwich Evening News: The open plan kitchen/living spaceThe open plan kitchen/living space (Image: Archant)

I've never seen a bad apartment in this building but the penthouse at the very top, is breathtaking because it comes with a large south facing roof terrace. It just feels like you're not in Norwich because it is in an industrial zone so you look out over warehouses but roof tops too – it's different, and different sells. The apartment itself is just fabulous because again, you've got the space, the high ceilings, the numerous windows bringing in all that light yet it has retained its purposeful feel along with the communal areas which boast all the same infrastructure such as the staircases as when it was a drawing office. A lovely touch is that many of the architects' plans are hanging in the communal hallways.

You come through the front door of the apartment and on this floor there is the second/guest double bedroom and cloakroom with the hallway leading into the stunning double height living space.

The current owner has upgraded the entire apartment so you have a beautiful bespoke kitchen with dark painted contemporary units, gorgeous solid wooden floors and some really beautiful contemporary interior design. I loved the attention to detail with handles, for example. In the kitchen you have those cup cupboard handles and in the bedroom, units boasted some little leather handles – all very attractive. The living room has those line of windows you see at the top of the Factory from the front and then on the second floor you have a fantastic master bedroom and en suite with the roof terrace at the rear. You've also got a basement store and allocated parking space but what this apartment really offers you is a fantastic lifestyle – it's private yet so close to the city and you can probably hear the cheers of Norwich City scoring on match day! But it's also in walking distance of the railway station so in ease of getting to London or Cambridge if you fancy a day away. Or you can just relax on your balcony and enjoy the view!

The vendor himself put it in his own words: 'We will be very sad to move on from the Factory after almost 10 years here. The light and space in the flat is unique. The area is incredibly peaceful for somewhere so central and the flat is not overlooked, so it feels very private. There's a strong sense of community too, because the management company is owned and run by the residents. We love being able to walk along the river into the city and having the station so close at hand'.

The Factory penthouse apartment is for sale for a guide price of £425,000-£450,000 with Pymm & Co on 01603 305805 or www.pymmand.co.uk