ally, emotionally, and aesthetically at any given moment. I believe all of those are affected by the world at large, so in some senses, trends affect me. Two years ago we brought out the Manhattan collection, which is decidedly free or ornamentation, very clean and crisp and minimal. I think everyone was feeling the desire to simplify! The latest crib, J’adore, is a gorgeous jewel of crib, designed for smaller spaces, and it says to the world, “Bigger doesn’t mean better”. You can have limitless luxury in a Manhattan studio! The past few economic years have been rough, and as a high-end baby furniture design company, Bratt Décor was not immune. Mary took a hard look at every single thing, and leaned out. She discontinued Bratt Décor products and finishes that weren’t great sellers, reduced their staff and cut back. They smartly introduced a more moderately priced line, Stephen Bauer Baby.The first collection, Joy, featured a simple iron crib in changer in white, at a fraction of the cost of iron cribs in the Bratt Decor line. “It’s a fantastic look that doesn’t disappoint, and it’s been great for us.” Today, Mary still works with Stephen side by side every day, an experience she says has been “wonderful and terrible and exhilarating and exasperating.” Her sons Sebastian and Raiff were born into the business and have only known Mary as a working mom. But, there’s never any doubt about
the priority list in their home: kids come first. “A big factor in starting the company was to allow myself the flexibility to be available for my children. This company has afforded me that. I can pick them up from school and then I work from home where I can be with them. When the boys were small, so was Bratt, and I worked from home with them constantly under feet. By the time Raiff went to full time school, Bratt was full time. They’ve sort of grown up together.” When she looks back on the journey of giving birth to Bratt Décor, Mary thinks about how much the company has defined her. “My faith, which has grown so strong, my marriage, my motherhood. I know one day this will all be a memory for me, but it has been the biggest and best part of my life. There’s no way to think about Bratt Decor and separate it from the time when we raised our kids and had our family all around us. For me success is being able to pay my bills, feel good about who I am and the work I do, to have the time to stop whatever I’m doing and watch The Annoying Orange with my kid, and to have lots and lots of people to love. The best part is knowing that we’ve had a small part in the joy of a new family. I love that. I sometimes think I’d love to see all the kids that have slept in our cribs in one room and give them all the biggest hug.”
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