A Thrissur studio led by Sanil Chacko, designing homes and interiors shaped by the light, the land, and the life of Kerala.
We work with brick, laterite, teak, and the slow rhythm of a Kerala afternoon — not against them. Our practice covers homes, commercial spaces, and interiors across Thrissur and beyond.
What stays constant is restraint: a belief that the most enduring spaces are the ones that look as though they were always meant to be there.
Thrissur has a way of teaching you restraint. The heat, the rain, the old houses on narrow streets — they all ask you to listen before you draw.
I started Design Platform Architects with one conviction: that buildings in Kerala should be shaped by their site, their climate, and the people who will live inside them — not by a shortcut from a catalogue.
We take on a limited number of projects each year so that every home and interior gets the focused attention it deserves, from the first sketch to the final detail.
A home designed around an open-to-sky courtyard that draws light and breeze through every room. Brick and teak on a sloped site — the ground floor follows the land rather than fighting it. The house is quiet, considered, and entirely Thrissur.
A double-height interior for a compact urban apartment. Micro-cement, teak joinery and brass hardware share a single calm room. Three honest materials and a great deal of daylight.
A weekend home at the edge of the Western Ghats. Horizontal timber screens dissolve into the treeline; a cantilevered living deck holds a view of the valley. The plan steps with the slope — nothing was levelled.
A family home on a tight 4-cent urban plot. The design stacks functions vertically — ground-floor living opens to a rear garden, upper floors breathe through louvred windows. Big light in a small footprint.
A 70-year-old ancestral home brought into the present without losing its soul. Traditional നടുമുറ്റം restored; new joinery echoes the old in brass and dark timber. The family didn't want a new house — they wanted their house back.
Buildings from concept to handover — homes, commercial spaces and institutional projects that belong to their site and their climate.
Interiors composed as the natural continuation of the architecture — joinery, lighting, material curation and furniture specification.
Ancestral homes and older buildings brought thoughtfully into the present — respecting their character while making them liveable for today.
Sanil didn't sell us a house. He asked us, for months, what kind of life we wanted — and then he built it. We have been here two years and the rooms still feel new to us in the morning light.
We interviewed four studios. Design Platform was the only one that came back with a question instead of a portfolio. Their supervision on site was unlike anything I had seen in 18 years of building in Kerala.
They proposed micro-cement and teak when we asked for marble and tiles — and we are glad they held their ground. The interior they designed is the calmest room in the house.
Our ancestral home feels like it did in my grandfather's time — but liveable now, with light in every room. The renovation was sensitive, unhurried, and exactly right.
Based in Thrissur, Kerala, with 12+ years of practice in residential architecture and interior design. A believer in slow, contextual design — buildings that listen to their site before they speak.
+91 94967 86753A boutique studio that takes a limited number of projects a year — so that each one receives the unhurried, founder-led attention it deserves. We build in Thrissur and across Kerala.
WhatsApp the studio ↗For homes in Thrissur and neighbouring districts, Sanil will personally visit your site — no fee, no obligation. You will leave with a clear picture of what your land wants to become.
It begins with a 30-minute call (free) and, for serious projects, a complimentary site visit by Sanil. From there, we issue a written design brief and fee proposal within seven days. We never start drawing without a signed brief and a concept retainer.
Residential projects from Rs. 50 L upwards; commercial interiors from Rs. 20 L upwards. Our design fee is typically 7–10% of construction value, agreed upfront with no surprises.
We work primarily across Thrissur district and the broader Kerala region. For sites in neighbouring states, we travel for the key visits and co-ordinate with a local execution partner.
From first sketch to handover, residential projects average 12–18 months. We do not rush the design stage — six weeks of careful planning prevents a year of expensive retrofitting.
Yes — and we strongly prefer to. The architecture and the interior are one continuous gesture. When clients hire us for both, the result is always stronger and the build is more efficient.
Absolutely — it is a core part of our practice. We understand the traditional നാലുകെട്ട് form, the courtyard, the verandah and the deep eave. We can work in this vocabulary or reinterpret it for a contemporary life — whatever the project demands.
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