The most exciting design studios and architects in Goa are redefining how the state builds today—balancing heritage with modernity, and crafting villas, cultural spaces, and hospitality projects that reflect a distinctly Goan identity. AD India compiles a list of 12 leading names in the design industry that are bringing a distinct lens to tropical living, sustainability and craft.

Field Atelier

The courtyard just outside the living room flows into the verandahs enveloping the home, creating a continuous loop of open, shaded spaces that blur the line between indoors and out.

 Shantanu Starick

Situated a level lower, the study opens up to a generous view of the mango tree in the central courtyard. The window shutters strike a balance—offering privacy when needed, while still welcoming in soft light and a gentle cross breeze.

 Shantanu Starick

Established in 2015 by architects Yatin Fulari and Teja Amonkar, AD100 firm Field Atelier is a young Goan practice focused on residential projects, additions, and small-scale interventions that respond closely to local context. The studio adapts the typology of the Goan house to contemporary needs—balancing compact footprints with spatial generosity through light wells, double heights, and layered thresholds. Their work is marked by sensitivity to village fabric and landscape, with homes often designed to sit quietly within existing settlements rather than dominate them. The use of courtyards, shaded edges, and a restrained material palette gives their projects a grounded, almost vernacular rhythm. Their approach positions them as one of Goa’s promising younger practices, crafting architecture that is thoughtful, precise, and quietly contemporary.

Notable Works: House in Corjuem, House in Salvador du Mundo

Grounded

Sanjeet Wahi

A Goan architectural practice led by Anjali Mangalgiri, AD100 firm Grounded serves (primarily residential) architecture with a clear sustainability brief. The studio’s work privileges climate-responsive planning, passive cooling, and a restrained palette—laterite, natural plasters, deep verandas—so new homes sit lightly in their settings while feeling quietly luxurious. The Aldona landmark Nivim is frequently cited as a benchmark: the house earned IGBC Gold (the first residence in Goa to do so), pairing indoor–outdoor living with measurable performance. Grounded’s subsequent projects continue the certification path (e.g., Navovado reaching IGBC Platinum), underscoring an approach where “earthy luxury” is backed by verifiable green metrics.

Notable Projects: Nivim, Villa Navovado

Ini Chatterjee & Associates

Ini Chatterji, photographed by Bharath Ramamrutham.

A long-established name in Goa’s architectural landscape, Ini Chatterji has been practicing for decades and is regarded as one of the state’s veteran voices. His work consistently bridges experimental ideas and materials with a deep respect for the Goan context, making him both a pioneer and a reference point for younger practices. Over the years, Chatterji has developed a distinct vocabulary of tropical modernism—one that privileges openness, natural light, and low-impact building methods. His celebrated Coconut House in Olaulim remains a landmark for its inventive use of coconut wood, transforming an overlooked local material into structure, surface, and story. By embracing innovation while staying rooted in place, Chatterji’s career reflects both experimentation and endurance—architecture that has shaped Goa’s contemporary design identity over many years.

Notable Projects: Coconut House, Ice Factory

Paul Rodrigues

Fabien Charuau

Fabien Charuau

This Goa-based architect is behind the recent beautiful restoration of Verve Estate (also referred to as Verve Estate) in Guirim, a 1925 Indo-Portuguese mansion that was sensitively revived and adapted for contemporary living. Rodrigues approaches heritage as a living framework rather than a frozen relic and through restoration projects such as Verve Estate, Rodrigues positions himself as part of a growing movement in Goa that views the revitalisation of heritage architecture not only as a cultural asset but as a viable, adaptable model for contemporary life. Alongside Karishma Bajaj and Asim Merchant, he is also a co-founder of red blue & yellow (RBY), a contemporary furniture brand known for pieces rooted in the Indian aesthetic dialect.

Notable Works: Verve Estate, Villa in Anjuna

Raya Shankhwalkar Architects

Photo courtesy: Harshan Thomson/ Raya Shankhwalker

Raya Shankhwalker Architects has been instrumental in shaping Goa’s contemporary hospitality and residential landscape, widely recognized for adaptive reuse projects that give old Goan structures a second life by retaining the essence of the original shell—whether it’s exposed laterite walls or old timber trusses—and layering in new programming, crafted lighting, and spatial fluidity. His work spans across bars, restaurants, and boutique spaces that have become cultural landmarks, alongside villas and private homes that echo the same sensitivity. It’s architecture that is as much about atmosphere as it is about structure, contributing to the evolving identity of Goa’s built environment.

Notable Projects: Soro – The Village Pub, Tesouro by Firefly, The Rice Mill

Ritu Nanda Design

Image by Bharath Ramamrutham.

This AD100 practice is known for homes and boutique developments that balance understated luxury with contextual awareness. Based in Goa and Mumbai, the studio works across architecture and interiors, often crafting villas that engage closely with landscape, climate, and craft. The design language is calm and minimal, with an emphasis on natural light, earthy finishes, and fluid spatial planning—low-slung forms that sit gently in their setting, muted palettes that complement rather than dominate, artisanal details that do not overwhelm the overall sense of restraint, and indoor-outdoor connections that make the home feel at ease in the tropics. The firm has also partnered with Quattroporte Luxury Homes to build ultra luxury homes in Goa.

Notable Projects: Villa Nora, luxury Goan villas under Quattroporte Luxury Homes (QHL)

Josmo

Harshita Nayyar

Established by designer Anjali Mody, JOSMO is both a design studio and a furniture workshop, operating at the intersection of interiors, product design, and fabrication. The practice brings together craftsmanship and contemporary sensibilities, creating spaces and objects that feel rooted yet current. Their work ranges from residential interiors to hospitality and retail projects and their approach leads to layered interiors where terrazzo, patterned tiles, and tropical greens complement bespoke furniture designed in-house. The studio also collaborates with local artisans, producing furniture that combines solid wood, metal, and woven details in unexpected ways for spaces that feel highly individual, expressive, and finely tuned to the Goan lifestyle.

Notable Projects: Villa Vida, flagship stores in Goa and Mumbai

SAV Architecture + Design

Photography by Fabien Charuau

Photography by Fabien Charuau

With studios in London, Mumbai, and Goa, SAV Architecture + Design operates at the crossroads of computational design, craft, and storytelling. Founded by partners Amita Kulkarni and Vikrant Tike, the practice is known for sculptural forms that use advanced digital modelling but remain rooted in local materiality. Their work in Goa reflects this synthesis, producing homes and hospitality projects that feel both futuristic and deeply tied to landscape—using parametric thinking not as spectacle, but to choreograph light, shade, and circulation for tropical living. SAV’s projects span scales from individual villas to masterplanning, and read as architectural statements: bold yet inhabitable, experimental yet grounded, and unmistakably part of Goa’s evolving design vocabulary.

Notable Projects: House of Verses, Earth House

The Busride LAB

Photography by Becky D’costa

The Busride, founded in Mumbai by brothers Ayaz and Zameer Basrai, has become one of India’s most recognizable names in hospitality and cultural design. From restaurants and bars to exhibition spaces, the studio is known for combining theatricality, craft, and narrative-driven spatial design. While the design practice is headquartered in Mumbai, its research and experimental arm—The Busride Lab—is based in Goa, serving as a hub for exploring the future of cities, craft, and collaborative design, where the work extends beyond traditional commissions into speculative projects, installations, and workshops that rethink how architecture engages with community and environment. These experiments often feed back into the main studio’s commercial work, influencing spaces across India with fresh thinking rooted in material research and social inquiry. Together, The Busride and The Busride Lab embody a dual practice—one shaping visible cultural landmarks, the other quietly incubating new ideas from a Goan base.

Notable Projects: The Second House, Lento

Studio Momo

Fabien Charuau

Founded by architect Meetu Akali, AD100 Studio Momo has built a reputation for thoughtful restorations and context-driven luxury homes in Goa. The practice is best known for reimagining Indo-Portuguese houses and crafting villas that respond to the region’s climate and material traditions. High ceilings, shaded verandas, an emphasis on natural ventilation and an easy flow between indoors and outdoors are recurring elements, often paired with reclaimed timber, laterite stone, and clay roof tiles that root the work firmly in place. By balancing preservation with innovation, Studio Momo has carved out a niche in residential architecture that is both sustainable and distinctly Goan.

Notable Projects: Villa Branco, Villa Verde

Studio Praia

Founded by architect Rochelle Santimano, Studio Praia is a Goa-based practice that specializes in residential and hospitality projects, restorations, and adaptive reuse. The studio has become known for balancing the charm of traditional Goan architecture with the requirements of modern living, approaching heritage structures with sensitivity—retaining proportions and preserving or reinterpreting material integrity of high-pitched roofs, laterite walls, and shaded verandas—while discreetly introducing new planning strategies to bring in openness, natural ventilation, and functional layouts suited to contemporary lifestyles. Their newer residential builds echo the same principles: simplicity, durability, and a tactile relationship with the outdoors.

Notable Projects: Villa Kanai, Grumps

Studio Tilt

Manthan Yadav, Laval Areosa

Founded by Natasha Kumar and Abhijit Sawant, this Goa-based practice brings a light, contemporary touch to residential and hospitality architecture and interiors. Their work often emphasizes natural light, plant life, and restrained, tactile finishes—resulting in homes that feel fresh, biophilic, and seamlessly tied to their surroundings through open-plan layouts that flow into courtyards or gardens. Clean geometries are softened with textures like lime plaster, wood, and hand-crafted details. The studio’s focus on livability and atmosphere makes their projects feel both elegant and approachable, reflecting a modern Goan lifestyle that values calm, connection, and design clarity.

Notable Projects: Laval Areosa, House of Revival

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