An LS1 postcode has transformed a sad dad into a daddy cool.
It's not easy to impress teenage children who generally see parents as an embarrassment.
But Les Platt is scoring highly on the cool-ometer these days, after buying a second home in Leeds City Centre. The fashionable flat with every conceivable mod con, act as a pied a terre for him during the week and a place where his wife and children can indulge in breaks away from their home and Cheshire.
My children are 14 and 11 and they think its fantastic being in the city centre, says Les, who allowed his offspring to have a say in the design of the hip and trendy pad, which is now fit for a pop star or a premier league football player.
Les, a senior partner with accountancy firm Deloitte and Touche, and his wife Anne were planning to buy a holiday home abroad along with a small apartment in Leeds, but changed their minds after flat hunting. Les says: "I started looking around and found that a lot of the apartments were modern, soul-less, square and boxes with no individuality. I didn't see anything I wanted to live in. I work long hours during the week and didnt want the travelling time added to the day.
"I wanted something within walking distance of the office. Ive done a lot of commuting over the years and I know how difficult it can be.
When the advertising banner went up on 19 Wellington Street, a short walk from his City Square office he wasn't expecting to find his dream home. The development of the Grade II listed building hadn't got underway, but he expected replicas of the "boxes" he'd already viewed.
"The building was classic 19th century brick with lovely arch windows, and it was a two-minutes walk from the office. When I saw it it was a shell,"says Les.
The development of 16 apartments belonged to Christine Yorath, of Town and City Living.
Les says: "When I met her I was very impressed. She was striking in that she wanted to allow everyone to personalise their property. There was such a massive range of options from flooring to kitchens. She also paid huge attention to detail." Les expressed interest in a small duplex. For those ignorant of apartment lingo, this is a flat with two floors, a downstairs and an upstairs. The original idea was to make two separate duplexes out of the space, but she said she said it would be marvellous if it could be made into one because youd have a panoply of windows. "I was quite taken by this idea", he says.
In fact, he was completely sold and scrapped the plan to buy a holiday home abroad.
"I decided that I'd never get time to go there anyway", he says. Les, Anne and the children banded together with Christine and the architect to discuss the design and planning.
"We decided that the apartment should be part of the family life, rather than somewhere I come to work and that's why we all got involved," says Les.
"Christine gave us lots of advice and she supplied the fittings, but she left the decisions to us. She basically told us what the options were."
They opted for a complete contrast to their home in Cheshire - a rustic farmhouse.
They wanted a Scandinavian feel to the apartment with lots of curves. They created an open plan feel downstairs with four distinct areas: a sitting area, a dining area, a kitchen and what Les calls the den, a darker corner behind the kitchen which is dominated by the king of the squashy sofas: the Togo by Ligne Roset.
Upstairs there are three large ensuite bedrooms.
"We're really pleased with the result", says Les. "The only thing we'd change is probably the floors. We went for beech and if we had to choose again, we'd have a dark wood."
The family have had lots of fun furnishing the flat. They used a combination of bespoke pieces, including a rug made for them by Filey-based Stylish Creations to design classics by Italian lighting company Flos.
Most impressive for the children, and for dad, is that the whole apartment is wired for sound and vision using the latest technology. "There's a universal remote control for the TV screen and CD player plus consoles and speakers around the flat. I wanted it all integrated, which turned out to be quite complex, but worth it," says Les, who adds: "The family love this place. My son's even become a Leeds United fan."
He doesnt regret foregoing a place in the sun in favour of LS1.
"I can do that when I retire," he says.
"I have no regrets at all. I still walk in here after work and think it is amazing."