Financial Times: A Good Night's Sleep and a Little Romance by Mark Ellwood

Wendy Maitland is one of New York’s top luxury real estate brokers. She lives in Manhattan.

Where did you grow up?

Rhinebeck, New York: it’s a sleepy little town on the Hudson River. But I lived in Paris for a brief time between high school and college, in the 5th arrondissement : it was a teeny tiny little garret but it also had gorgeous views from these fabulous old windows – the Eiffel Tower and the Seine. Just like in New York, in Paris you can be in this little tiny spot, have world-class views and be close to everything. I really, really loved that. It sounds like every young girl’s dream. I was lucky to be able to be there, living a student life and absorbing all the wonderful things about Parisian culture and art. At weekends I could travel to London, Amsterdam and Belgium.

Did you consider staying in Paris?

I wasn’t sure where I was going to end up – either in NYC or Paris, as I’d travelled to France every year throughout high school; we had good family friends in Cannes. I have wonderful memories of Paris. I just found my scrapbook. My friends and I would go on the roof at sunset with a bottle of wine and a baguette and cheese. It was probably the most luxurious time in my life – and I was living on a stipend. But I decided I wanted to go to NYU for college; my sister was there and I came from a very close-knit family. Paris was a little too far from home for my own taste. At that time I was still a baby. I haven’t left New York City since college.

Why do you love it so much?

New York is the polar opposite of where I grew up – bucolic and beautiful, the Norman Rockwell classic small town. I always felt a little bit stifled, a little bit bored, much as I loved my family. I was an adventurous spirit from the moment I entered the world and the minute I came to New York I felt like I was home. I never felt like I completely belonged and New York is a city full of people who come together because they don’t belong anywhere else. With that comes an incredible amount of creative energy.

Were you creative? Is that also what drew you here?

At the time I first came here I wanted to be a writer and had read extensively. I was a literature fan – everyone from Joyce Carol Oates to Jean-Paul Sartre. I envisioned myself, very romantically, being a writer in Greenwich Village. But though you became a real estate broker not a writer, you still lived in the Village. Yes, since I moved to New York, for a good 15 years. Then I moved to NoHo to get more space. At that time I was raising two little kids and couldn’t find a space big enough. But we missed the West Village; my kids would drag us there. It’s very charming and once you’re there it’s very difficult to give it up for good. I was away from the West Village for five years – five long years. Then I had an opportunity to purchase an apartment on a West 12th Street block I loved.

Do you have a favourite memory about any of your homes in that area?

I remember a home I bought on West 11th Street and West. It was an old loft in a former women’s prison with 15ft-high ceilings. It was an absolute wreck when I bought it. It had been owned by someone who’d been the dinosaur of the neighbourhood. I went in, had a vision and I knew I could make it into something fabulous. I found an amazing designer and got him in and I sold it for more than double the price I paid for it. I like that story about the prison because I’d tell friends I was finally where I belonged!

If you could live anywhere, women’s prisons aside, where would you choose?

In an alternate universe I absolutely would live on a beautiful island with gorgeous views of the ocean and be a great novelist. If I were going to buy a beach home, it would be on an island – Harbour Island or Mustique.

What are your must-haves in a home?

A great kitchen is the heart and hearth of the home. I love cooking. I’m not a typical New Yorker at all [in that way]. It grounds me. And I also take great pains to make my bedroom serene, a romantic retreat for myself. I have a very luxurious bed with really cosy, comfy bedding and a beautiful duvet cover. And lighting is extremely important. I always have candles and every light on a dimmer. One can’t have any kind of wonderful life without a good night’s sleep – and hopefully a little bit of romance.

My favourite things: Bedsheets and a happy kitchen Signoria Firenze sheets and duvet. I like a cool bedroom temperature – 63°F – best for sleeping. They’re not to be separated from my Swedish king-size bed. All of the gorgeous photos of my kids . Now that my son is 13 and my daughter is 17, those photos are even more treasured. I have two, taken one special summer in Bridgehampton, in a house we rented. It had a long driveway we called “Bunny Lane” because there were so many bunnies hanging out there. Emma was eight, Matthew was five. A picture of each is on my nightstand by my bed in NYC. A vintage “Le Nil” poster by Leonetto Cappiello . The elephant is draped in a red tapestry, an exotic symbol of Africa and Egypt. It’s 5ft wide by 4ft tall. I bought it when my son was very young and obsessed with elephants. The kitchen . It’s my favourite place in the house when it’s busy and chaotic with scents and heat from cooking – cheeses out for tasting with Dijon mustard, white truffle honey and baguettes, with wine served in simple Riedel glasses. I have sparkling lemonade for the kids and the sounds of good music, conversation and laughter at a volume just high enough to be festive and cheerful. This is what makes me happiest in my home. Our B&B Italia Citterio taupe sofa. It’s sleek, warm and chic, with clean lines. A Jay Maisel photograph of the World Trade Center towers. It was taken at a magic hour, with the early evening sun glistening off of the venerable hunks of glass and metal, against a deepening blue sky, circa 2001. It’s framed in a simple black frame.