The apartment's high ceilings and highly polished wood floors give an immediate impression of space. The foyer is appropriately called the Gallery, as it is home to several fascinating pieces of art. On one side is a roomy coat closet. On the other, a hall leads down to the kitchen and master bedroom. A few steps from the door is the large and luminous living room. One entire wall of this room is given over to windows, but you need not sacrifice privacy or comfort for light: the window treatments include a clever series of straight sheers that can completely cover, completely expose, or anything in between. Central air conditioning takes care of any heat from the enormous windows.

The living room itself is decorated in cool white and accented with some red pillows here, a blue rug there, bright throws on the sofas and a yellow chair in the corner. Other pieces include African carvings, chairs out of MOMA and striking canvases done in primary colors. Over the fireplace is a large flat-screen television, art in its own right. At the other end of the room, pocket doors slide to reveal the first of two spacious bedrooms.

This bedroom has a queen-sized bed and its own ensuite bath. Large windows, identical to the ones in the living room, admit abundant daylight. There is a TV with VCR on a side table, and an easy chair in the corner. The bathroom is delightfully convenient for two people: a vanity stands between two separate rooms, with a stall shower complete with rain-showerhead on the right, and a WC on the left.

The second bedroom is reached via the Gallery and a long hallway, along which there is a powder room. The first impression upon entering the master bedroom is one of light. The entire far wall is floor-to-ceiling windows, with privacy afforded by the same elegant sheer panels found in the living room. Beyond the windows is a long terrace overlooking a small private garden, a perfect place to sip one's morning coffee and take in the fresh new day. A king-sized bed occupies one side of the room, leaving plenty of room to move around, and to rearrange the easy chairs in front of the high-definition television. The far wall is all closet space. One honey-colored wall of wood paneling is adorned with a top quality Bang & Olufsen CD player. All the televisions have cable connections.

The master bathroom is a palatial dream of white marble and curved surfaces. An elliptical Jacuzzi tub is set low, under a panel of mirrors. A double vanity and a large shower stall equipped with wall nozzles and a rain-showerhead flank the door on either side. The WC is in a separate space within the bathroom.

The kitchen opens off the Gallery. This room is as modern as the rest of the apartment, and impeccably turned out in maple and brushed steel. It emanates efficiency, without sacrificing comfort and beauty. There is a marble-topped table at one end, and at the other end, a window looks out over the building's garden space. The most demanding chef could have no complaints about the brand-new, high-quality appliances and cookware. The steel-fronted refrigerator is larger than most in the United States. Next to it, a microwave and a standard oven are nestled into the wall. The flat cooktop has an attractive and fully functional exhaust hood. Cabinet space abounds.

Next to the kitchen is la buanderie, or utility room. This room has everything one could wish for on cleaning day: separate washer and dryer, a corner tub in which to fill buckets and rinse mops, and shelves and other storage space.

It would be a sad error to dismiss this stunning apartment simply because it is not located on the Ile St. Louis, in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés arrondisements or other areas best known to tourists and travel writers. Rue Leroux is in the northern 16th arrondisement, a quartier that is quiet, safe, sophisticated and replete with a special Parisian charm that radiates from its Belle Époque architecture and interesting boutiques, cafés and little neighborhood parks.