What Chacol does

CHA:COL (also known as CH+A Collective; trade name Chacol) is a privately held, founder-owned architectural and interior design practice founded in 2006 by husband-and-wife principals Chinmaya Misra and Apurva Pande. The firm operates from its headquarters at 606 Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles and a second studio opened in Goa, India in 2021. The practice delivers full-service design across three horizontal segments: custom residential (specializing in hillside terrain, narrow lots, and large California estates), live-work lofts and creative offices in dense LA neighborhoods (Downtown, Arts District, Historic Core), and commercial work spanning concept retail, animation studios, hospitality, startup incubator spaces, and adaptive reuse of historic structures. Supporting specialized capabilities include custom millwork systems, prefabrication and modular construction (e.g., the Pavilion in Goa), and centralized smart-building interface integration for lighting, shading, climate, and facade control.

The business runs as a project-based professional services firm: revenue is generated through quoted design fees on a per-project basis, with principal-led business development and inbound demand driven by a sustained cadence of press coverage in Architectural Digest, Dwell, NYT, LA Times, Dezeen, Architectural Record, and HGTV, plus speaking engagements such as Dwell on Design Expo. Customer mix is intentionally diverse across individual estates, boutique retail, creative-tech offices, hospitality, and institutional clients. Notable projects include the Roger TV animation studio warehouse conversion (IIDA Calibre Award 2022), The Reserve in Hidden Hills (Gold Nugget Merit 2022; AD Middle East/Italia 2024), Writer's Block live-work loft (AIA LA Residential Design Award 2018), K9 Ventures' 'Kennel' incubator, two FaceHaus retail spas, and a prefabricated conference and event pavilion for a luxury seaside resort in Goa. The firm is bootstrapped with 1–10 employees, has no external funding or parent entity, and in March 2025 added a Climate Resilient Construction consulting line targeted at LA Very High Fire Severity Zone rebuilds following the January 2025 wildfires.

Name

Chacol

Legal name

CHA:COL

Website

https://chacol.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CHA:COL is a private, founder-owned Los Angeles architectural practice founded in 2006 by Chinmaya Misra and Apurva Pande, delivering full-service design for custom hillside residences, live-work lofts, creative offices, retail, and adaptive-reuse commercial projects, with a second studio in Goa, India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (54141), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Custom residential architecture
• Live-work loft design
• Commercial workplace design
• Adaptive reuse architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full-service architectural firm providing design services across multiple scales including custom residential, live-work lofts, creative offices, retail spaces, and experimental commercial projects. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for design, planning, and project management services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CHA:COL is a full-service architectural practice delivering design, planning, and project management services across custom residential homes (with deep specialization in hillside terrain and complex topography), live-work lofts in dense urban settings, and commercial/workplace environments including creative offices, retail concepts, hospitality, and adaptive reuse projects. The firm also provides climate resilient construction consulting for post-disaster rebuilds in high fire severity zones.

Product overview

CHA:COL (Chacol) is an award-winning architectural firm offering full-service architectural design across residential, commercial, and live-work sectors. Founded in 2006 by husband-and-wife principals Chinmaya Misra and Apurva Pande, the firm operates from offices in Los Angeles, CA and Goa, India. Their core service offerings include Custom Residential Design specializing in hillside terrain and complex topography, Live-Work Lofts for creative urban spaces in dense metropolitan areas, and Commercial Design spanning creative offices, retail, hospitality, and adaptive reuse projects. The firm also provides specialized Climate Resilient Construction Consulting for post-disaster rebuilding. CHA:COL is recognized for expertise in hillside terrain, live-work infill in large metropolitan areas, and educational design, with extensive press coverage in Dwell, LA Times, New York Times, Architectural Record, Dezeen, and Architectural Digest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Residential Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 19 years of continuous operation since 2006 with growing portfolio
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Metro ChartercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoth principals are co-founders and board members of Metro Charter, an elementary charter school in downtown Los Angeles. The school is widely regarded as a history-creating grassroots community institution. LA Times has covered the school's progress.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Patrick Tighe Architecture: LA boutique architecture firm known for custom residential and experimental residential design with strong editorial features, comparable in scale and creative-risk orientation.
• Studio Belrose: LA-based residential architecture firm focused on custom modern homes and adaptive reuse, with shared hillside and infill expertise.
• Walker Workshop: Small LA-based architecture studio known for custom residential design with strong press presence in Dwell and Architectural Digest, similar in size and design-forward positioning.
• Brooks + Scarpa: Award-winning LA architecture firm with overlapping expertise in residential, commercial, and live-work projects; both firms share AIA recognition and social-mission design ethos.
• Standard Architecture: LA boutique architecture firm specializing in custom modern homes, hillside construction, and creative commercial projects, directly comparable to CHA:COL's core services.
• wHY Architecture: LA-based multidisciplinary design studio with expertise in adaptive reuse, cultural, and creative office projects, similar in mission and design-led profile.
• SPF:architects: LA-based architecture firm specializing in residential and commercial design with strong press profile, comparable in clientele and project types.
• Marmol Radziner: LA-based architecture and design firm with similar focus on custom modern residential, adaptive reuse, and high-end residential/commercial work. Comparable in scale, prize-winning profile, and editorial press presence.
• MASS Architecture & Design: LA-based architecture practice with creative residential and commercial work, sharing both geographic focus and boutique-scale operations.

Broad incumbents

• Olson Kundig: Larger, internationally recognized design practice with strong residential and commercial portfolio; serves as a broader incumbent with comparable aesthetic and award-winning positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chacol-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chacol