A lesson in what really matters

Last year, up-market developments boasted a range of hi-tech gizmos. This year, Mary Wilson finds that buyers are demanding value for money and the emphasis has shifted towards quality - of design, layout and, above all, materials

Last year, the must-have requirement for any self-respecting up-market development was a plethora of high-tech toys. This year, sense has prevailed and quality is winning out over gadgets and gizmos. And this probably comes as a relief to many purchasers, who might have felt that they needed a degree in computer science just to understand how to operate the lights or the hi-fi system.

Now, it is the attention to detail, the use of high-standard materials, as well as the design and layout of the apartments which counts. Qualities which appeal to young professionals who want value for money and, above all, something which will last.

Jonathan Thurston, of Landminster, who have just put on the market five apartments and one mews house at 17 Lancaster Gate, part of the Victorian stucco-fronted former FA Headquarters in London, says: "I like to concentrate on traditional quality in the fabric of the building, not on the toys, which devalue by 10 per cent after a year. I prefer to spend money on solid-oak windows and floors, which will still be there in 100 years."

He is keen on adding extra health and safety features, rather than hi-tech gimmicks. "With urban living, you need to keep yourself healthy," he says. So, these flats, which have a period facade, but are all new inside, have a sophisticated air-filtration system, an air-cooling system which allows you to regulate the humidity and a central vacuuming system - all easy to use and highly effective.

On the security side, there is a colour video-entry system (with sound), which shows who is at the front door as well as in the lift; this is a good thing as this opens directly into the entrance hallway of the apartments on the upper floors.

Windows have blast-proof glass and, should there be a fire, there is a smoke-vent system which can empty the whole building of smoke, while the lift zeros to ground and emergency lighting lights up the escape routes. "I have tried to keep the amount of technology down. So I am now just putting in easy-to-operate dimmer switches in all the rooms, CAT 5 wiring and ducting for multi-media hi-fi systems should a purchaser want that. At least he won't have to rip the place to pieces to install it," says Thurston.

All the apartments have oak flooring throughout, bathrooms are in cream-coloured marble with a Jacuzzi bath and steam shower, the kitchens have pale granite work surfaces and splash backs, solid maple units and a built-in cappuccino machine. "It saves space on the work surface," says Thurston. The first-floor apartment is particularly impressive with a superb reproduction-Georgian ornately carved fireplace and 15ft high windows with new solid oak shutters in the living room. The two- and three-bedroom apartments range in size from 1247sq ft, up to 2441sq ft. They are being sold through Knight Frank (020-7823 5906) and Insignia Blenheim Bishop (020-7290 2800) from £935,000 to £1.8m for a penthouse.

"Everything has to be right," says Julia Reynolds of Insignia Blenheim Bishop, "and specification is very important. Right at the top end of the market - over £5m - purchasers are looking for plasma TV-screens, CAT 5 wiring, mood lighting and surround sound. For properties up to £2m, technology is not so important, but they do expect solid-wood flooring and doors. Laminates and veneers will simply not do."

Thornsett has just launched five huge lateral apartments and four studios at 36 and 38 Pont Street, SW1 - a pair of Grade II-listed stucco buildings. Three of the lateral apartments are traditionally designed, the top flat is more contemporary and this developer has gone a bit further in the way of technology, but the quality is there as well.

In the master bathroom, there is a 14in, plasma-screen TV at the end of the bath, the fireplace in the living room is operated by remote control, as are the curtains and there is a surround-sound system in the living room. But the attention to detail in these flats is second to none. In the ground-floor show flat, which has its own entrance, there is a library with exquisite burr-oak panelling and bookcases, beautiful marble bathrooms and oak parquet flooring laid in a modern design. The flat, which has original cornices and ceiling detail, has three bedrooms, drawing room and dining room. The flats on the first, second and third floors have a stunning circular entrance hall, into which the lift opens directly, with a star-shaped white-and-black marble floor. On the fourth floor, the two-bedroom apartment has a roof terrace off the living room, high ceilings and two-tone walnut and maple doors. Double doors open into the kitchen/dining room, which has a limestone floor in the kitchen area and pale grey Poggenpohl units. All kitchens have inch-thick blue glass work surfaces and a five-burner gas hob.

The four studios on the lower ground floor are completely different. Flooring throughout is in limestone and the living area is divided from the area behind by a wall and two sliding opaque-glass doors. Behind the wall is the bed, and on either side is a bath and a loo. Down the corridor is a guest cloakroom and tiny triangular kitchen, still with glass-topped work surfaces. And all the apartments, whether lateral or studio, have Lutron lighting, air-conditioning and Cat 5E wiring. Prices range from £425,000 to £3.65m and the agents are Knight Frank (020-7591 8600) and Friend & Falcke (020-7581 3022).

In Aubrey Square, Kensington, W8, some of the most expensive new-build apartments and townhouses are on the market. The development by St James Group is on a former Thames Water site, which is also where the Campden Hill Lawn Tennis Club is based and this now has six new indoor courts underground and six in the open air.

"The houses are of very high quality and are very secure, with each house having its own underground garage," says Tom Tangney of Knight Frank, who is marketing the development with DTZ Residential and Sotheby's International Realty.

The 19 houses have between five and seven bedrooms and are set around a new landscaped square. There are also 48 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. All come with a choice of contemporary or traditional interiors, and prices for the houses range from £5.5m to £11.5m for a seven bedder with a swimming pool and from £550,000 to £1.25m for the apartments.

Knight Frank, 020-7938 4311; DTZ Residential, 020-7235 8088; Sotheby's International Realty, 020-7598 1600.