Novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford was born in Yorkshire, northern England, and started writing for the local newspaper in her teens. By the age of 22 she was an editor on a national publication. Her books have sold more than 80m copies. She lives in New York with her husband of 43 years, Robert Bradford, a film producer.

Where did you grow up?

In Upper Armley, outside Leeds, in a cottage-like house with a nice garden and rose bushes. Then we lived in a Victorian row of small houses. I was educated at a little school that [the playwright] Alan Bennett went to but I’m not sure we were there at the same time.

How did you get your love of antiques?

My mother had a good eye for antiques. Not that we had any, but she loved paintings, furniture and good china. For years she dragged me to country houses like Harewood House in Yorkshire. She would say to me: “That’s a Georgian piece, that’s a Constable. You must always keep your eyes open.” She imbued in me a love of beautiful things.

Describe your apartment.

It’s just under 5,000 sq ft and there are a lot of windows and doors. Bob once told a journalist we had 14 doors. I said “Bob, it’s more like 44”. I know this because my contractor told me when he was painting them all. It’s in a famous building on the East River, built in 1931. Henry Kissinger lives there. The woman we got it from had taken off the antique mantles over the two fireplaces and the mouldings at ceiling level. I put all that back and made it traditional again.

What else did you do?

It was quite a big job because it hadn’t been touched for years. I put in a new kitchen, a butler’s pantry, a black granite floor in the foyer. The previous owner had a lot of plants and there were water rings so I put in new wooden floors. I made two rooms into a walk-in closet. I was lucky to have a good contractor. We never quarrelled and we got it done in 10 months.

Where have you kept homes before?

We’ve had three or four apartments in New York since I arrived in 1964 and for a long time we also had a house in Warren, Connecticut, for weekends. It was a traditional Connecticut clapboard, built in about 1780. I added a wing and made it too big, really. I filled it with French provincial country pieces. But we didn’t go often enough. We had London apartments but now we stay in The Dorchester.

Describe the decor of the apartment.

I think it’s traditional. I tend to decorate like the English. It’s lots of different things all put together but the apartment still has a certain elegance and a harmony. The colours blend from room to room. The living room is cream with silk on the walls. At one end are three pieces of Biedermeier furniture including a writing desk. There are a lot of windows so things tend to turn a funny colour. I would say it’s tranquil but I do like a shock room, and that’s why there’s the dining room.

In what way is it shock-worthy?

The dining room is red with Venetian stucco on the walls; that’s seven layers of plaster and paint. There’s a Biedermeier dining table and matching chairs, each with a fan shape in the back. There’s an 18th-century antique crystal chandelier from Hungary, a Biedermeier sewing table and a pair of candlesticks that once belonged to King Farouk of Egypt, made into lamps.

Did you use an interior designer?

I had every room planned and I gave him a 60-page folder at the beginning. He told me he’d never had anything so detailed, even from a designer. Once I made up my mind I didn’t change it. The problem with a lot of people is they’re not decisive. I enjoy creating something from nothing.

Have you updated over the years?

You can’t really update when you’ve got furniture like Biedermeier, unless you want to sell it. I’ve put new fabric on sofas but I’ve stayed with the same colour schemes.

Where do you prefer to write?

I’ve always had an office in the home and it’s always been done like a sitting room. I’m very fast on a typewriter. I like to handle the paper and the book grows more organically that way. I do use a computer but only for research.

How do you structure your day?

I’m an early riser. When I was on the Yorkshire Evening Post, aged 16, I had to be at the newspaper at 6.30am. I go into the study with a cup of coffee, a bottle of water and my two dogs and there I stay until about 12pm. I make a sandwich or a salad that I take back into the room. At 4 or 5pm, I stop.

Do you have staff?

Mohamed, our major-domo, runs the house. He’s an American but was born in Morocco and has been with us 10 years. I have two Romanian housekeepers. At the weekend I have a housekeeper from Chile. They’re loving and warm. I can’t work 10 hours a day and scrub the floors as well.