Studio Coromandel - Architecture, Interior, & Landscaping

History

A Legacy Carved
in Wood and Stone

Design runs deep in Gerald's lineage - woven into the very grain of his family history, across centuries and disciplines.

He hails from one of Austria's oldest families, with roots tracing back to the early 17th century. On his father's side, generations worked with wood: his great-great-grandfather was a forest owner, his grandfather and father were both master carpenters, and his grandmother - a trailblazer in her own right - became Austria's first female master carpenter.

On his mother's side, a different tradition of building took form. Gerald's great-grandfather was a prominent architect and served as the city architect of Vienna. A contemporary of Austria's most revered design minds, he collaborated closely with Otto Wagner - one of the leading figures of Viennese modernism - at a time when the city was reshaping itself into a capital of innovation and beauty.

With this dual heritage - craftsmanship rooted in nature and architecture steeped in urban intellect - Gerald was destined to bridge both worlds. He trained as an interior designer at the prestigious Technical University in Mödling, where aesthetics met engineering, and later passed the master carpenter's examination, grounding his design fluency with hands-on mastery.

Today, Gerald's work reflects this rare convergence of inherited skill and visionary thinking. It is design not just as a profession, but as a generational dialogue - where every line drawn and every surface shaped carries the echo of those who came before.

"Architecture, in its most sacred form, is a response to the land - like the temple that rises not in defiance, but in devotion to the forest, the monsoon, and the quiet geometry of shadow and light."
– Gerald Gutmann

In ancient South India, life moved with the seasons and was shaped by the land. Building was not construction, it was ritual. The materials came from earth and forest, unchanged for millennia: laterite, lime, timber, terracotta. Every surface held a patina; every joint told a story.

Houses breathed like living beings, their courtyards open to rain and sky, aligned to winds and the turning sun. Farming was not labor but devotion, the orchards and paddy fields tended like temple gardens, enclosed by dry-stone walls and shaded by coconut and jackfruit trees.

For three months, the monsoon torrents coursed through sacred groves and ancient water channels; the rest of the year, perennial springs whispered continuity. Time here does not pass. It circles.

I was drawn to India not merely by its beauty, but by something more enduring, an ancient rhythm still alive in the way people build, farm, and inhabit the land.

I settled in the hills of Rayasamudra, where stone terraces, temple ruins, and forgotten fort walls still speak of those who shaped the land long before us, chieftains, sages, and storytellers whose memory lingers in every carved step and sacred pond.

Here, time does not vanish, it gathers. What began as arrival became belonging, into a world where architecture is not invented, but uncovered, and the land itself is the first teacher.

Sustainable by instinct, rooted in tradition. Since 1984.

What began as a study of architecture, landscape, and craft became the foundation of a life's work, over four decades dedicated to designing spaces in harmony with climate, culture, and memory. This evolving practice continues today through Studio Coromandel, where time-honored techniques are reinterpreted for contemporary life. A living tradition is not static; it adapts. Yet it remains grounded in the accumulated wisdom of generations, whether in the laterite homes of Kerala, the stone villages of the Alps, or the rain-harvest courtyards of Rayasamudra.

India is our muse.
Design is our language.

Philosophy

Let's show you how we work…

At Studio Coromandel, we design with reverence, for place, for tradition, and for the quiet intelligence of materials shaped by time. Our architecture is inspired by the living heritage of South India: courtyard homes, temple proportions, tropical landscapes, and time-honored building methods. These are not relics but starting points.

We reinterpret these elements through a modern lens, clean lines, sustainable practices, and refined detailing - creating spaces that feel rooted yet current, spiritual yet functional. From site selection and architectural concept to interior design, execution, and landscape planning, Studio Coromandel offers a fully integrated design journey. Each project is deeply personal and responsive to its environment, culture, and purpose, crafted to endure, and to belong.

The Chola Legacy

There's a quiet wisdom in the way South India once built - structures that rose not to conquer the land, but to become a part of it. The Cholas understood this. Their temples were not just monuments, but meditations - carefully aligned with the sun, the wind, and the rhythms of daily life.
At Studio Coromandel, we carry that spirit forward. Every project begins with the land itself - its contours, its shadows, its stories. We draw from traditions refined over a thousand years, not to recreate the past, but to reimagine its relevance today.

Here, design is not about trends. It's about permanence. It's about crafting spaces that feel inevitable - where stone meets soil, and silence becomes part of the architecture. We honor the past, not as a museum, but as a living, breathing foundation for the future.
Because to build well is not just to shape space - it is to belong.

See our projects

Photo by Nittavinoda, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Teamwork

The Power Behind Studio Coromandel

At Studio Coromandel, collaboration isn't just a method - it's our greatest strength. We believe that timeless design is born where diverse minds and shared passion meet. Our studio brings together a collective of international and Indian specialists - architects, interior designers, landscape artists - each united by a deep reverence for heritage and a commitment to innovation.

What sets us apart is not only our mastery of craft, but our openness: to new ideas, cultural influences, and the evolving rhythms of contemporary life. Rooted in tradition and inspired by the future, the Studio Coromandel team works as one - translating vision into architecture, emotion into space, and landscapes into living legacies.

Meet the team behind our most inspired creations.

Sourcing the Rare and Remarkable

Studio Coromandel is more than a design studio; it's a curatorial practice rooted in deep knowledge and instinct. With decades of experience across architecture, interiors, and cultural heritage, we specialize in sourcing rare and meaningful elements: antique architectural fragments, artisanal objects, one-of-a-kind artworks, and as well properties.
Our strength lies in a trusted network built over time, relationships with craftsmen, collectors, and local experts who understand the value of authenticity. Whether it's a carved door, a weathered stone basin, or a hidden estate, we know where to find it, and how to honor it.

Each item we source tells a story. Each space we shape carries that story forward.

Step into the Storeroom