APIECE APART WOMAN
Visiting Maya Nairn at home feels more like stepping into a Tuscan garden than it does into a South Austin residence. Tucked into a little pocket of eucalyptus and loquat trees on a quiet corner in the Travis Heights neighborhood, her home is at once very simple and quite breathtaking, a little slice of serenity less than a mile from downtown. This same combination is what moves us about Maya: easy elegance. Her company, De Buci Baby, is an extension — started after she started looking for some simple pieces to put in her daughter’s room, she now offers an edit of European-inspired items like linen baby blankets in neutral tones and flax nursing pillows. We talked with her about motherhood, humility, and the (cheesy but true) idea of being present, now.
Maya wears MARGARITA OFF-THE-SHOULDER TOP in cream and HIGH-WAIST CROP in white
“We tell ourselves stories in order to live” — what is the current story you are telling about yourself (or to yourself)?
I am realizing how important it is to truly be content and satisfied during each phase of life. I think in having children and starting a business it can be easy to wish away the difficulties of the present and think about what things could be like in the future…easier, more successful. Each phase has its challenges and its joys and I try to work through the challenges and really focus on the joys. My story is definitely about being present, having gratitude, and enjoying everything that I have right now.
I am realizing how important it is to truly be content and satisfied during each phase of life. I think in having children and starting a business it can be easy to wish away the difficulties of the present and think about what things could be like in the future…easier, more successful. Each phase has its challenges and its joys and I try to work through the challenges and really focus on the joys. My story is definitely about being present, having gratitude, and enjoying everything that I have right now.
Backing up, can you share more about your upbringing and childhood: what are some of the steps that have led you to where you are today?
My father is Texan and my mother is Persian and both are incredibly independent and loving. I was raised in San Antonio with my sister, on a former ranch: We had cows, horses, chickens, and a lot of freedom to roam and play outdoors. My parents included us in everything. I remember dinners out with their friends where my sister and I would push chairs together to make little beds and fall asleep once we’d had enough fun. There’s something sort of magical about falling asleep to the sounds of your parents laughing with their friends.
My father is Texan and my mother is Persian and both are incredibly independent and loving. I was raised in San Antonio with my sister, on a former ranch: We had cows, horses, chickens, and a lot of freedom to roam and play outdoors. My parents included us in everything. I remember dinners out with their friends where my sister and I would push chairs together to make little beds and fall asleep once we’d had enough fun. There’s something sort of magical about falling asleep to the sounds of your parents laughing with their friends.
My dad is an entrepreneur and an artist at heart. I worked with him for almost 10 years before I started my business. The confidence he instilled and the wisdom he shared allowed me to start something on my own. My mom is a photographer and is the most loving, nurturing, and stylish woman I know. She always encouraged me to find my own passions and I learned the importance of nurturing those through her.
We have recently become interested in Sister Corita Kent’s list of “rules.” What are some of your own “rules” for living + working?
Something I’ve learned from my mother and grandmothers: Get dressed. Put yourself together every day.
You can do anything—just start somewhere and keep going forward.
Be flexible. I recently read something that really resonated with me: “When the wind of change blows, some people build walls, others build windmills.”
Be on time. Growing up, my father always told me that being late was a sign of disrespect to the person you are meeting and it has really stuck with me (perhaps to an obsessive degree).
Be positive. Mistakes happen, failures happen, bad things happen. Approach them all with positivity.
How has being a mother changed the way you work?
Being a mother has changed everything about me. It is such a grounding force. With work it probably gives me immense perspective.
Being a mother has changed everything about me. It is such a grounding force. With work it probably gives me immense perspective.
At the risk of using the (overused) word “balance”…how do you find your own?
I am a very independent person so I am my most balanced when I am able to occasionally step away from my role as a mother and just be a wife, or just be a friend, or just be myself. I am able to do this through the support of my husband, my mother, and my sister. My husband is a true partner and is always happy to pick up the extra weight when I’m away and my mom and sister are so incredibly generous with their time and with their love for my children.
Maya wears ROSAL MINI SHIRRED TOP in french stripe and BAJA TIE WAIST CULOTTE in black
Describe a personal dailyritual.
The start to every morning, when our kids run upstairs and hop in our bed.
The start to every morning, when our kids run upstairs and hop in our bed.
Is there anything you fear?
Of course I have fears. For some reason they all stir around in the middle of the night, but I have a very logical brain, so once I’m awake I can usually logic my way out of them.
Of course I have fears. For some reason they all stir around in the middle of the night, but I have a very logical brain, so once I’m awake I can usually logic my way out of them.
How do you define beauty?
In a person…grace, humility, vulnerability.
In a person…grace, humility, vulnerability.
What do you make for dinner by yourself or while entertaining.
I love to cook, but in this phase of my life if I’m having dinner by myself, it’s definitely not something I’ve made. For entertaining, I love dishes that I can mostly prep in advance. Fish en papillote is probably my favorite. It’s simple, beautiful and delicious.
I love to cook, but in this phase of my life if I’m having dinner by myself, it’s definitely not something I’ve made. For entertaining, I love dishes that I can mostly prep in advance. Fish en papillote is probably my favorite. It’s simple, beautiful and delicious.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
That I am responsible for my own happiness. It’s an incredibly empowering thing to realize.
That I am responsible for my own happiness. It’s an incredibly empowering thing to realize.
Photography by KATE LESUEUR | Story by LEIGH PATTERSON | Styling by ALEXA HOTZ