Architects and Interior Designers in Ernakulam (2026): 5 Studios on MOA

Updated 17 Oct 2026: this list is built from the public profiles on Member of Architecture on that date. Details such as services and completed-project counts are supplied by each studio. Check the profile, and ask for references, before you appoint anyone.

There are 5 design practices in Ernakulam and Kochi listed on Member of Architecture: 4 architecture studios and 1 interior design studio. All 4 architects have had their Council of Architecture registration verified, and 1 studio has published finished work on MOA that you can look at before making contact. This page lists every one, with what they do and how to reach them directly, plus a short note on who approves building plans in the city.

How this list was put together

Worth being straight about the basis, because many "top architects" lists are advertising in disguise. This is not a ranking of the best architects in Ernakulam: nobody can credibly produce that. It is every practice on MOA whose profile lists Ernakulam, Kochi or Cochin as a place it works, ordered by the work they have published on MOA and then by the number of completed projects they report.

No paid placements. Nobody paid to appear here, and MOA takes no commission on any project that follows.
Completed-project counts are self-reported by each studio and cover their whole career, not only the work shown on MOA.
COA verification means MOA has checked the architect's registration with the Council of Architecture. Only a registered architect may use the title "architect" in India, under the Architects Act, 1972.

Architecture studios in Ernakulam

Studio Design Shasthra

Architect: Lithin Karikkottu Ninan
Completed projects (self-reported): 15
Services: Construction Drawings, Design Consultancy
Works in: Ernakulam
COA verified: yes

View Studio Design Shasthra on MOA

AT&3 Architects

Architect: Shibili Ali Thaikkat
Completed projects (self-reported): 10
Services: Turn-Key Projects, Design Consultancy, Interior Designing, Construction Drawings, 3d-Rendering
Works in: Ernakulam
COA verified: yes

View AT&3 Architects on MOA

Mystic Stories

Architect: Faisal K
Completed projects (self-reported): 3
Services: Interior Designing, Construction Drawings, Turn-Key Projects, Design Consultancy, 3d-Rendering
Works in: Kasaragod, Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam
COA verified: yes

View Mystic Stories on MOA

Fathima Shahul

Architect: Fathima Shahul
Services: Interior Designing, Construction Drawings, 3d-Rendering, Furniture Design, Design Consultancy
Works in: Ernakulam
COA verified: yes

View Fathima Shahul on MOA

Interior design studios in Ernakulam

THOMAS+ASSOCIATES

Designer: Pradeep Thomas
Projects published on MOA: 2
Completed projects (self-reported): 99
Services: Design Consultancy, Interior Designing, Contractor, Construction Drawings, Turn-Key Projects
Works in: Cochin

View THOMAS+ASSOCIATES on MOA

Design render of a large master bedroom with a padded beige headboard wall framed by gold-toned lattice screens, a bed with blue velvet cushions, a blue rug, a sitting area with a blue sofa and armchair, a crystal chandelier and a lit coved ceiling — A bedroom with its own sitting area in Private Residente 1, Cochin, by THOMAS+ASSOCIATES (design render). It is the one studio here with published work on MOA. Image: THOMAS+ASSOCIATES on MOA

What these studios offer

Across the 5 practices listed, the services on offer are: 3d-Rendering, Construction Drawings, Contractor, Design Consultancy, Furniture Design, Interior Designing, Turn-Key Projects. Not every studio does everything, so check the individual profiles. Scope is the most common source of disagreement later on.

Building rules in Ernakulam: the local body, KMBR 2019 and GCDA

Before you brief anyone, it helps to know who approves what. Building permits are issued by the Secretary of the local body: the Kochi Municipal Corporation inside city limits, or the municipality around your plot elsewhere in the district. Municipal areas, corporations included, follow the Kerala Municipality Building Rules, 2019 (KMBR), issued under G.O. (P) No. 77/2019/LSGD of 2 November 2019. Village panchayat areas follow the parallel Kerala Panchayat Building Rules, 2019. Planning for the wider city sits with the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), which describes itself as the planning and development authority of the metropolitan area of Cochin and has prepared the Master Plan for the Central City of Kochi.

A few points from the KMBR, as last amended in October 2025 (G.O. (P) No. 53/2025/LSGD), that shape how you hire:

Who signs. Under rule 97, plans and drawings must be prepared and signed by an architect, engineer or other professional registered under the rules, each within the limits set for their category. Ask the studio who will sign your drawings.
Low-risk houses. Since the 2025 amendment, a "low risk building", which includes a house of less than 300 sq m built-up area (about 3,230 sq ft) and no more than two storeys excluding the basement, can go ahead on an Acknowledgement Certificate from the Secretary that is deemed to be a permit.
Decision time. For a regular permit, rule 13 (as amended in 2021) gives the Secretary 15 days from receipt of the application to grant or refuse it, counted from site approval. If nothing is decided, rule 14 lets you ask the council, and if it does not decide within the time the rules allow, permission is deemed granted.
Validity. A permit, or an Acknowledgement Certificate, is valid for five years and can be extended once for five more. Beyond ten years a District Level Committee decides, up to 15 years in all (rule 15).

This covers only the points above, and the rules are amended often, so ask your architect to check the current text and the GCDA zoning for your plot.

Design render of a two-storey house at dusk with dark tiled sloping roofs, a small dormer pair over the porch, exposed brick walls, timber doors and windows, a white pergola over the upper terrace and a landscaped front garden — Private Residente 1, a house in Cochin by THOMAS+ASSOCIATES (design render): dark tiled sloping roofs, exposed brick and a white pergola over the upper terrace. Image: THOMAS+ASSOCIATES on MOA

Four questions worth asking before you appoint anyone

Most homeowners ask about fees first and regret it. These tell you more:

Have you built on a plot like mine, under the same authority? Approval processes differ by authority and zone. Someone who has filed with yours recently saves you months.
What is included, and where does your scope end? Concept drawings, construction drawings, approvals, liaison work and site supervision are often priced separately. Get the boundary in writing.
Who runs my project day to day? At a small studio it is the principal. At a larger one it may not be. That is fine, but you should know before you sign.
Can I speak to a client from two years ago? Recent clients are still in the honeymoon period. Older ones can tell you how the building aged and how overruns were handled.

For a longer checklist, see 15 questions to ask before hiring an architect or interior designer.

How fees usually work

Three models cover most of the Indian market: a percentage of project cost, a rate per square foot, or a fixed fee for a defined scope. Percentage fees are common on larger residential work, and per-square-foot pricing is more usual for apartment interiors and renovations. Ask which model a studio uses before discussing numbers, because the same total looks very different under each. Our guide to architect and interior designer fees goes into more detail, and the Kochi construction cost breakdown helps you set a realistic budget for the build itself.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a registered architect to build in Ernakulam?

You need a registered professional to sign the drawings, though not necessarily an architect: rule 97 of the KMBR 2019 also allows registered engineers and other categories, each within set limits. Interior work inside an existing flat usually needs no permit. Rule 8 lists works that need none, including interior decoration and partitions without structural alterations, painting, and changing windows or doors. Anything affecting structure, plumbing stacks or the facade generally does, and housing societies and apartment associations have their own rules. Confirm with the Kochi Municipal Corporation or your local body before you begin.

How long does a residential project take?

Design and drawings typically take two to four months, approvals vary by authority and by how complete the file is, and construction of a full house usually takes a year or more. Apartment interiors are faster, commonly three to five months from design to handover.

Does MOA charge for introductions?

No. Enquiries go straight to the studio, with no commission on either side.

How do I check an architect's registration?

Look for COA verification on their MOA profile, or confirm their registration with the Council of Architecture. Our COA guide explains how.

Browse every practice on Member of Architecture, look at their published work and message studios directly. If you practise in Ernakulam and are not listed here, create a profile. It is free and takes a few minutes.

Sources

Public studio profiles on Member of Architecture, read on 17 Oct 2026. Services, cities and completed-project counts are supplied by each studio.
Council of Architecture (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala: Kerala Municipality Building Rules, 2019 (G.O. (P) No. 77/2019/LSGD, 2 November 2019), with the 2020 amendment, hosted on the LSGD building permit portal (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Local Self Government Department: Kerala Municipality Building (Amendment) Rules, 2025, G.O. (P) No. 53/2025/LSGD, 29 October 2025 (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Local Self Government Department: Kerala Panchayat Building Rules, 2019, with the 2020 amendment (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Greater Cochin Development Authority: About GCDA (accessed 17 Oct 2026)

Related on MOA

Authorities Made Easy: Building Permit and Land Rules in Kochi (2026 Guide)