Sunken baths, saunas, silken screens . . .Edel Morgan asks what's your fantasy home

What dream item would your perfect apartment have to have? For me it it would be a gossamer-like satin and organza Japanese-inspired screen by textile designer Eva Kieran.

It would would turn a corner of my fantasy loft apartment into a chill-out zone with a chaise longue, a few good books and soothing background sounds.

Wish lists can be dangerous. Allow yourself to daydream about your ideal living space and you may wake up to find money is an object and the size of your apartment an obstacle.

However, if anyone can make it happen it's a designer. Apartment Living asked four top designers and an architect to name their ultimate object or feature of desire in their ideal apartment.

Some went for tranquil opulence, others preferred cutting-edge technology, while one coveted little more than the perfect lines of a Nigella Lawson parmesan grater.

Rachel Hall, Interior designer

The feature I'd incorporate into my ultimate apartment would be internal glass walls with a difference. These are walls that can be transformed electronically from clear to opaque allowing you to open or close spaces on demand, so you can alter the levels of natural light available at any one time. This is made possible by a gel within a laminated glass which is triggered by an electric current.

This system is so expensive you don't often see it in private houses. It's usually seen in commercial buildings and is still quite rare in this country. I've seen it in toilet cubicles in a nightclub in New York , where when you close the toilet door, the glass immediately turns opaque.

John Rocha, Fashion designer

Obviously, the perfect apartment, as a personal living space, would be an oasis of calm and relaxation. Apart from fly fishing, there is nothing like a quiet bath in a very peaceful surrounding. To this end the perfect apartment would have to have a big sunken stone bath where I could slink away and soothe myself. In a perfect world, this would overlook a lush, green, cool, Japanese garden.

I don't get much chance to stop and think. A place like this is very important for me to reflect and get some distance on all things going on around me. Of course my biggest joy is sharing a meal with family and friends, so a fridge supplying endless bottles of champagne would have to be close by!

Helen James, Textile designer

A few years ago I stayed in a hotel in Vermont, US called Twin Farms. There were many amazing things about this place but what really left a lasting impression was the Japanese bath. It sunken, about 10ft by 10ft and out in the hotel grounds.

I went out late at night; it was pitch black outside and the ground had a heavy carpet of snow. The surround of the bath sat above ground like a large paper lantern.

You got into the bath and then pulled back the rice paper screens. So there you were in warm water, steam rising, surrounded by snow . . . incredible.

In my ultimate apartment this would be top of the list. I would love to sit out on the terrace of a winter's night looking at the sky in my big warm bath. True luxury.

Dermot Boyd, Architect and lecturer

My ultimate accessory is a Tizio Lamp designed by Richard Sapper in 1971 . It's very simple, very contemporary and a famous design icon. It's an anglepoise lamp based on counterweight rather than a spring system with no exposed wires.

The lamp is halogen - basically a bulb for a car headlamp - and has an intense light. It is designed so it hangs over a desk and it also swings vertically to become an uplighter. You can use it to read with or work under, or light a livingroom and it's nice to sit in a completely darkened room with just a small pool of light to read by. It's a perfect piece of design, functional and beautiful and costs about €300.

Other than that I would choose a Nigella Lawson parmesan grater, very smooth and round with a steely edge.

Charles O'Toole, Furniture designer

To set the scene, my dream apartment would be a two-bed room apartment by the beach with a view of the mountains behind. It would have an open-plan kitchen and dining area as well as a spacious livingroom. I have two considerations when choosing furniture, aesthetics and function, and it would have a black leather Eames lounge chair and an ottoman - not only does it look good, it is also incredibly comfortable.

My ultimate feature would be an en suite sauna. I think that it's important to make time to unwind and what better way of letting off steam than to climb into your very own sauna. It's a simple pleasure which gives an amazing feeling of relaxation.

Although the sauna was invented by the Finns, the concept of sweating for health, cleanliness and pleasure is not confined to Finland's borders. The Turkish bath is a close relative as are the sweat lodges of the Eskimos and American Indians. As for a particular design, it would have to be my own.