Home + Design
Gold Award Winner

We are a residential architecture firm partnering with skilled consultants and contractors to produce award-winning new custom homes, renovations, additions and historic restorations. We create architecture that connects indoor and outdoor living, and interior spaces filled with warmth and natural light.

Projects

A mid-century modern style new custom home on Lake Monona, Madison, WI. Using natural materials like stone and wood, with floor-to-ceiling windows and large screened porch.

Lake Monona

A new modern custom home on Beaver Lake. Using natural materials like stone and wood, with floor-to-ceiling windows and large rear porch.

Chenequa

Modern 2nd story addition to an existing ranch home, with wood siding and large windows.

River Hills Renovation

New custom modern house with stone exterior walls, large oversized floor-to-ceiling windows.

Lake Drive Modern

Outdoor kitchen area with a built-in grill, black metal support beams, wooden wall paneling, and a stone wall, surrounded by trees.

Beach House

Modern living room with wood-paneled ceiling, stone fireplace, large windows revealing greenery outside, and contemporary furniture including a red sofa and a dining table with chairs.

Michael P. Johnson Renovation

Mid-century modern house with large glass windows and stone exterior, illuminated from inside, surrounded by trees and landscaped yard at dusk.

Abe Tannenbaum Renovation

A modern house with stone, wood, and black siding, illuminated by exterior lights at dusk, featuring large windows and an outdoor balcony.

Shorecliff

View of a modern backyard house with a wooden exterior, large glass doors, outdoor furniture, and a swimming pool with a hot tub.

FLW Adelman House

Modern office lobby with gray sofas, a glass coffee table, and a wooden reception area, with black and white walls displaying the name 'ADELMA.'

Adelman Travel

Interior view of a modern kitchen with wooden cabinets, a stainless steel refrigerator, a white dining table with chairs, and a kitchen island with barstools. Decor includes a bowl of bread, a towel, and a vase with flowers.

Eisner

Modern multi-story house with large windows, dark gray and wood exterior, surrounded by trees and neighboring white house, with a driveway and parked cars in front.

Waubesa

Modern house with large glass windows, stone and wood exterior, illuminated inside, surrounded by trees and landscaped yard at dusk.

Wrayburn Addition

Exterior view of a rustic house surrounded by trees with a stone and wood facade, metal roof, small windows, and a stone pathway leading to a door.

Northwoods Trail

A backyard with a house featuring large windows, a stone deck, and a swimming pool with a curved edge, surrounded by tall trees.

Russell Barr Williamson Renovation

Modern kitchen with gray cabinets, wooden ceiling, four black and gray barstools, a mosaic tile backsplash, large windows with white curtains, and a geometric chandelier with white and brass elements.

Erie Loft

In Progress

Modern single-story house with large glass windows, a multi-level roof, and a three-car garage, surrounded by trees and a landscaped lawn.

Aldo

Modern two-story lake house with large glass windows, wooden accents, and a flat roof, surrounded by trees and landscaping.

Boulder Junction

About

We are dedicated to creating architecture that responds to its surroundings, with light-filled spaces that enhance daily life and inspire a sense of wellness.

Located in Wisconsin, we serve the entire midwest region, as well as across the country. We are a full-service residential architecture firm, including new custom homes, renovations, additions, and historic restorations.

Honesty of materials, clarity of form, and consideration of local climate and context are fundamental components to our design process.  Our hope is that the work we create today will someday be worthy of restoration by future generations.

We are small and specialized, allowing us to give each project the attention it deserves.  We engage in a multi-disciplinary approach involving close collaboration with engineers, consultants, fabricators, and builders to achieve a strong understanding of the construction process and attention to detail.

We work in conversation with clients, listening without preconception, generating ideas and possibilities together, and finding clear and compelling solutions. 

We all impact the natural environment with our actions, and believe building design should promote environmental responsibility.  This can occur through the use of natural/recycled materials, minimizing energy and utility consumption, orienting the building with the sun, reducing construction waste…and many others.

Justin is a leading resource and proponent for the restoration and preservation of mid-century modern architecture, co-founding the Wisconsin chapter of the modernist preservation group DOCOMOMO.  He lives with his wife in a 1958 MCM home designed by local architect Abe Tannenbaum.

Black and white portrait of a man with dark hair and a beard, wearing a light-colored shirt and a blazer, smiling and looking to the side against a wooden background.

JUSTIN RACINOWSKI
Principal and Lead Design

Elizabeth Martin

ELIZABETH MARTIN
Marketing Director

Mike Blodgett

MICHAEL BLODGETT, PE
Structural Design

Our team of extremely talented collaborators…

  • Amy Carmen, ASID, Interior Designer

  • Andy Fieber and Jon Wanta, Aldo Partners

  • Matthew Jahns, Refined Renovations

  • Kate Schley, Coach House Homes

  • John Sauermilch Contractor

  • Dana Grabovac-Ircink, Powers Realty

  • Michael Minster, The Meadow Craftsman

  • Jeffrey A Beane PE, SE, LEED AP, Structural Engineer

  • Alan Rentmeester, PE, Spire Engineering

  • James Drzewiecki, Ginkgo Leaf Studio

  • John McWilliam, Scathain

  • Ronnie Barenz, Barenz Builders

  • Jeff Burg, JFK Builders

  • Jason Katcha, Present Power Systems

Awards

  • Gold Award - Milwaukee Home + Design Awards, 2024

  • Finalist - Best Architect Milwaukee, Shepherd Express 2023

  • Silver Award - Milwaukee Home + Design Awards, 2023

  • Named Best Architect Milwaukee, Shepherd Express 2021

  • Home Builder Digest, Best Residential Architects List, 2021

  • Named Best Architect Milwaukee, Shepherd Express 2020

  • Professional Builder Design Award, Custom Home 2019

  • Finalist - Best Architect Milwaukee, Shepherd Express 2019

  • NARI Wisconsin Remodeler Award 2019 Gold

  • Finalist - Best Architect Milwaukee, Shepherd Express 2018

  • Named Best Architect Milwaukee, Shepherd Express 2017

  • National AIA Residential Architect Award for Preservation

  • American Society of Interior Designers, Gold Award 2015

  • NARI Wisconsin Remodeler Award 2015 Gold

Three badges with laurel wreaths, each reading 'Best of Milwaukee Architect 2011', 'Best of Milwaukee Architect 2020', and 'Best of Milwaukee Architect 2021'.

Publications

Our projects have been featured in:

Selected Blog Articles

Blog
In the Press: Greendale Project Featured in ATOMIC RANCH
In the Press: Greendale Project Featured in ATOMIC RANCH

A design firm helped the new owners of this 1950s Wisconsin home navigate the tension between staying true to the house’s roots and bringing it into the 21st century. ATOMIC RANCH: A 1950s Wisconsin Home Balances Authenticity and Updates

In the Press: Better Homes and Gardens
In the Press: Better Homes and Gardens

Justin Racinowski was interviewed for the BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS article The Groovy Return of Conversation Pits

Racinowski Design Studio Included in Best Residential Architects List
Racinowski Design Studio Included in Best Residential Architects List

HOME BUILDER DIGEST: “This list presents some of Milwaukee’s most reputable architects. Because of their expertise, some of these firms have also been featured in publications like Dwell, and Architectural Record, among many others”  The Best Residential Architects in Milwaukee

In the Press: Tannenbaum Featured in MID-CENTURY HOME
In the Press: Tannenbaum Featured in MID-CENTURY HOME

Our Tannenbaum whole house remodel is featured in MidCentury Home… Midcentury Renovation in Wisconsin Delights Original Owners

Your New Home Design: What to Expect
Your New Home Design: What to Expect

Collaboration between the architect and client is the single most important aspect of the design process.  The best projects result from clients who want to be engaged in having an architect help them see the opportunities and potential of what their project can be, beyond their imagination. 

How to Embrace the Resurgence of Mid-Century Modern Design
How to Embrace the Resurgence of Mid-Century Modern Design

Justin Racinowski Interview for M MAGAZINE, March 2017, by Rick Romano. The modern home has made a comeback of sorts — more than 60 years past its heyday in the 1950s.

Meeting a Master: Dion Neutra
Meeting a Master: Dion Neutra

I met Dion last April while touring his VDL house and studio building on a Los Angeles trip, and was able to speak with him for awhile.  He has lead the architecture firm since his father’s death in 1970.

Instagram Feed

New project! Owners of a trilevel Russell Barr Williamson-designed home in Mequon have commisioned a new in-ground pool, with a stand-alone pool house and lower level garage, taking design cues from the home's soaring roofline that RBW is known for.
Las Palmas at night... unlimited inspiration and creativity. @modernism_week #modernismweek2026 #midcentury #midcenturymodern
Private party in Old Las Palmas at just an unbelievable house (architect unknown). with @lizmartincreative @mcm_eric @fabistrande #modernismweek2026 #midcentury #midcenturymodern
North Palm Canyon Drive #carsofinstagram #classicbmw #clasiccars #midcenturycars
The Marquee at Twin Palms was built in 1957, and meticulously renovated by H3K Home + Design. @modernism_week #modernismweek2026 #midcentury #midcenturymodern #midcenturyinterior #twinpalms
Twin Palms neighborhood, one of our favorites. The partnership between Palmer & Krisel and the Alexander Construction Company, led by George and Robert Alexander, was among the most significant collaborations in postwar American residential arch
The Soleil house is Trina Turk's latest project and only the second owner of this home, designed by Harold Bissner, 1963. Featured at #modernismweek2026, thanks to all the docents and volunteers that make this happen. @trinaturk #midcenturymodern #
Lake Monona at dusk, our custom modern home design completed in 2025. Builder @aldopartners Landscape design @ginkgoleafstudio Photos @justin.racy windows @zolawindows #modernlakehome #modernlakehouse #modern #homedesign #midcenturymodern