CHA:COL, the CH+A Collective, is an AIA award-winning architectural practice championing design in every space. |
Our creative work ranges from custom residential design to inventive workplaces, unorthodox retail spaces, as well as complex, exciting commercial projects.

As a full-service architectural firm, we work at many scales:

Single Family Residential

Creative Offices

Live/Work Lofts

Retail

Experimental

Our company’s story began in 2006 when husband-and-wife principal duo Chinmaya Misra (CH) + Apurva Pande (A) launched CHA:COL as a collaborative design start-up to rousing success with inventive residential and commercial projects. Over the years, the firm expanded with a tightly knit staff into retail and workplace design. We have been humbled with design awards and extensive press coverage in prestigious international publications.

CHA:COL is considered a leading design expert on issues of hillside terrain, live-work infill in large metropolitan areas and educational design. Speaking engagements include the prestigious Dwell on Design Expo.

Both principals regularly serve as design faculty at UCLA Extension and in the past, at Woodbury University. They are also co-founders and board members of an elementary charter school in downtown Los Angeles, Metro Charter, widely regarded as a history creating grassroots community institution.

AWARDS

CHA:COL has won numerous design awards for its recent projects, including from the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles, Shaw Contract International and Interior Design Magazine.

CH:COL’s work has featured in Dwell Magazine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Architectural Record, Thames and Hudson, Australian Design Review, Dezeen, Design Milk, Modern Home, Archdaily and HGTV. Both UCLA and SCI-Arc have included the firm’s work in Alumni Exhibitions.

CHA:COL was selected by Architectural Record for their ‘Emerging Architects’ series. In its early years, the firm was featured in the prestigious ‘New Blood: Next Gen’ exhibition at the Architecture+Design Museum in Los Angeles, which showcased the work of 32 young design firms. CHA:COL also fabricated a competition-winning installation at UCLA. CHA:COL has presented its work regularly at the Dwell on Design Expo.

Design is the critical driver of all our work.

WHO WE ARE

**Apurva Pande | Architect | Principal**

Apurva is a licensed California architect with over fifteen years of experience in design. He has significant experience with international projects at diverse scales. He has led a roster of work in institutional, commercial and custom residential practice areas.

Prior to that, he worked as an architectural designer at the offices of Frank Gehry, closely involved in the design and development of the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, Canada.

He serves as design faculty at UCLA Extension. He is also a co-founding Board member of a widely-recognized charter school, Metro Charter Elementary School in Downtown Los Angeles.

**Grant Nunnelee | Architect | Projects Director**

Grant is a licensed California architect with over ten years of experience in design. He began his architecture career working at PLP Architecture in London while enrolled in the Architecture program at Rice University. He returned home to Southern California after his time in Houston and abroad to work in a startup design firm specializing in single-family residential projects around Los Angeles. From there, Grant worked at Kovac Design Studio, honing his design skills while focusing on primarily high-end residential architecture. Grant then worked at AB Design Studio’s Los Angeles office as a Project Manager on several hotel projects located in Santa Barbara County. His time at these offices gave him invaluable experience in the intricate entitlements processes of the region.

In 2024, Grant became a licensed architect in the state of California and joined the CHA:COL team as Projects Director.

Chinmaya brings over fifteen years of design leadership with extensive experience in large mixed-use, retail and workplace practice areas, both as Senior Associate at the Jerde Partnership and as a Workplace and Mixed-use Design Leader at Gensler.

Her practice experience in mixed-use projects ranges from California to Japan, Europe and the Mediterranean regions. She also has an interior furnishings company that she co-founded to meet the need of clients who need their spaces staged, styled and furnished.

She serves as design faculty at UCLA Extension and is a co-founding Board member of a widely-recognized charter school, Metro Charter Elementary School in Downtown Los Angeles.

Safiyeh is an interior designer from New York. She holds a Masters Degree in Interior Architecture from UCLA x Cal Poly Pomona and Bachelors Degree in Finance and International Business from Georgetown University. Safiyeh’s design experience includes work for principal architects and hospitality business founders on high-end residential homes and commercial projects including hotels, restaurants, cultural centers and art galleries. She is drawn to entrepreneurial, collaborative environments where she is able to take on a fluid role to meet the evolving needs of each project.

Prior to receiving her graduate degree Safiyeh worked for 10+ years in business development, sales and marketing. In those roles she managed new business opportunities and worked with owners to build and expand hospitality operations. She led sales, marketing and events efforts in-house and at agencies for financial institutions, luxury residential real estate firms, boutique hotels and restaurants.