Maura has extensive experience in designing, fabricating and working directly with artisans. After having lived and practiced in five metropolitan cities during her career: Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Barcelona, and San Francisco, she has amassed experience with a range of scales and typologies. Maura holds a BArch from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.

Prior to forming Studio VARA with Christopher Roach, Maura ran her own successful design firm for eight years called MFAdesign, also in San Francisco. As principal of her 4-person firm, she solidified her experience in high end residential work, shepherding difficult and ambitious projects through the San Francisco Building and Planning Departments and the Planning Commission.