So you want to live . . . in a 1930s boardroom

Is this some fast-track route to senior management?

Not quite. It forms part of a one-bedroom apartment in what was a 1930s electric showroom in trendy Hoxton, east London. The whole complex was converted into flats about seven years ago.

What's an electric showroom?

Back in the 1930s, The Electricity Showrooms Company provided a showcase for the latest and greatest electric cookers of the time (gas-powered was so passé). Located above the showroom were the firm's offices - and that all-important boardroom.

So what part of the apartment does the boardroom form?

The apartment's biggest and best feature currently serves as the living room, and at eight metres in length it's pretty spacious. Decked out in its original two-inch thick oak panelling, oak flooring and four industrial-sized 1930s windows, the room oozes executive formality - there really is no mistaking what it was originally used for.

Run me through the rest of the flat

Well, you've got a small and rather basic kitchen, a bathroom and an open-plan bedroom which looks out onto the apartment's corridor; privacy obsessed individuals may have issues with that. The ceilings though are one and a half times normal height, so vertical space is impressive.

Who would it suit?

Hoxton is a thriving bohemian spot, which, according to the vendor, can be a bit of a duel-edged sword. "If you like bars and great restaurants on your doorstep it's fantastic, but the noise it generates - especially at the weekends - is significant." So this isn't one for bookworms or those with sensitive hearing (the eponymous Electricity Showrooms bar is situated just below).

How much?

The 860sq ft, one-bedroom apartment in Hoxton, London is for sale at £335,000 via Stirling Ackroyd (020-7749 3802).