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Meet Marni Ratner of Studio M Interiors in Old Fourth Ward

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marni Ratner.

Marni, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be an interior designer. Of course, back then all I knew about design was that I loved going to people’s houses and seeing new things. I used to shadow my Mom’s cousin who had an interior design business.

I grew up here in Atlanta and then went to the University of Texas at Austin for my Bachelor’s in Interior Design. Funny enough, my diploma reads ‘Bachelor of Science in Home Economics’ because the interior design department was still displaced under the school of home economics maybe even before they had a school of architecture. Needless to say, my diploma will never see the light of day on a wall!

After graduation, I went to work for a couple of architectural firms and never thought I wanted to own my own business. But, right after my second child was born I went out on my own out of necessity and my sanity realizing that I couldn’t consistently show up at an office at the same time every day and keep up with the fast pace of a large firm. That was 11 years ago and I’ve had a steady stream of work ever since.

I have one full-time employee and have had various contract employees here and there over the years. I’ve entertained the idea of hiring another person, but have decided that as long as just the two of us can handle the workload it is simpler to keep it small.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
One of the first struggles I faced was finding a job in my field right after college. Here I was, one of the few people I knew who knew from day one of college exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up and I felt like I was one of the last people to land a job in my chosen field.

Other obstacles have mainly centered around learning the business side of the business since the majority of what I learned in school was directly related to design and not the business of running a design firm.

It has taken me years to master an understanding of the financial side of things. Also, I’ve learned to enjoy marketing and networking over the years, something I wasn’t as fond of right out of school.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Studio M Interiors – what should we know?
Studio M Interiors is a ’boutique’ interior design firm specializing in multi-family, commercial, and selective residential projects. I like to think of us as the ‘anti’ diva design firm. Our tagline is ‘wow made simple’ and we try to keep the design process as streamlined as possible so that it is enjoyable for all parties.

I’m proud of some of the recognition and awards we’ve received over the years including being named one of Atlanta’s Most Powerful and Influential Women by The Atlantan magazine as well as winner of Atlanta Home Improvement Magazine’s Best Before and After contest for several projects and Best of Houzz for several years in a row.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
One of my mentors from a very early age is my cousin, Jean Cooper who has been designing for many decades longer than I have.

Another professional mentor is a former boss, Hiro Isogai whom I learned invaluable design style from.

Two cheerleaders have been my amazing business coach, Terry Teague who never runs out of priceless advice and Francois Everett, my life coach.

My amazing employee, Jennifer Baggett, without whom there would be no Studio M Interiors for 7 of the last 11 years.

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Kate Picton Photography
Pixels Photography
Christina Wedge Photography

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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