Photos by Jeffrey Gray Brandsted
Mike Rataczak, a Minnesota native and principal of Mike Rataczak Studios, relocated back to the Twin Cities area after a 32-year stint in New York City. Although the designer loved the color and life of the Big Apple, he returned to spend more time with family—but his years spent on the East Coast continue to serve as inspiration in his designs.
Opening his design studio in 2019, Rataczak is partial to contemporary design that melds old and new—a look he achieved beautifully in his New York City apartment. As a pre-war building constructed in 1931, the apartment lends itself to a vintage vibe that also feels fresh.
Maintaining original details, such as the metal railing around the sunken living room and the fireplace, Rataczak punctuated the living space with a real-deal Eames lounge chair, along with some bygone artwork, like the early 19th-century oil painting in the hallway and the 1928 August Sander photograph hanging below it. Pieces including the area rug and glass-topped coffee table add to the aesthetic and offer contemporary visuals. “The overall effect of the room is a mix of old, new, and in-between, and it all just works together,” Rataczak says.
Frequently entertaining in the dining room of his previous apartment, Rataczak now does the same in his Minneapolis Cape Cod-style home, complete with original hardwood floors and curved plaster crown moldings. His surroundings no doubt provided inspiration for his most recent projects, like the 2024 ASID Design Home, where he designed the primary bathroom and dressing room.
The designer now works on projects in the Twin Cities, New York City, and The Hamptons. With a mix of Midwestern roots and New York style, Rataczak’s designs offer the best of both worlds.
