Project
Retail
Cultural
Restaurants and Bar
Cafe and Bakery
Other
项目面积：100 sqm
设计公司：白菜设计
合作设计：Meao
施工单位：异禀制造
照明设计：亦卉灯光设计
空间摄影：图派视觉
The founder collected pieces from around the world, and together we integrated them into the space, allowing each visitor to experience her sensitivity to everyday aesthetics through use.
Located on the second floor of a low-density commercial block, the space faces lush greenery. We followed the original structure and opened up the windows to let sunlight and foliage fill the interior with natural tones.
Every detail is considered with care. From furniture and tableware to curtains and ornaments, each element responds to the gentle rhythms of daily life. We hope visitors are quietly moved by these subtle touches. Natural wood is widely used in furniture and fixtures. Each plank was carefully selected to preserve its original grain. The walls, finished in soft textures and paired with fabric drapes, add a calm and gentle atmosphere. Handmade products are shaped by time. We hope people can feel this quiet sense of quality—something that speaks without words.
location：北京中关村
Area：168 sqm
施工单位：异禀制造
空间摄影：图派视觉
The site is a long and narrow space with limited natural light. Rather than avoiding these constraints, we chose to transform them into part of the spatial experience. Through depth, repetition, and layered circulation, combined with suspended metal ceiling elements and vertical gestures, the space develops a strong sense of progression.
Based on the elongated layout, the interior was divided into a series of connected yet distinct emotional scenes. At the entrance, two walls with vertical light arrays guide visitors into the interior. Here, light acts not only as illumination, but also as a directional spatial language, establishing the first impression of the bar experience.
We approached the project through an installation-based spatial language, using the atmosphere of craft beer itself as a design reference. Beer kegs became a recurring spatial element, arranged in repetitive compositions across the façade, ceiling, and installations. Together with diffused lighting, they also function as atmospheric light sources within the space. The central area was defined as the main operational zone, with the bar positioned as the visual focal point immediately perceived upon entry. Seating is arranged in linear compositions on both sides, working together with columns, wall panels, and ceiling structures to reinforce the spatial rhythm and order.
Materially, we aimed to reflect the character and atmosphere of craft beer itself. Wood, leather, and metal were introduced throughout the space, creating a darker, warmer, and more immersive environment.
Within the rational layout of the bar, we intentionally inserted a series of detailed spatial moments — lighting, installations, corners, and framed scenes — to create memorable experiences for visitors. We hoped the space would offer not only consumption, but also a sense of atmosphere, conversation, and lasting memory.
委托方：melt season
空间设计：白菜设计
策展人：冯雅菲
空间合作艺术家：李颖颖、胡约华、胡晓文、魏小盐、姚念宇、李可华
施工方：上海顺美广告
Titled The Traces of Impermanence, the exhibition centers around three new fragrances. The brand collaborated with artist Li Yingying, who created corresponding artworks inspired by each scent. The spatial design is structured around both product and artwork, developing a cohesive display language that translates olfactory qualities into spatial and visual experiences. On the façade, we abstracted the spatial installation language into graphic elements and embedded them into the glass surface, forming a unified outward expression together with the brand identity. The façade becomes an extension of the exhibition concept. By aligning interior content with each window, the space is both revealed to the street and transformed into a visual interface.
The plan follows a linear sequence of experience. Upon entry, visitors are first drawn to a central installation, then proceed through three distinct exhibition zones, each dedicated to a fragrance. Semi-open partitions define individual atmospheres, allowing scent, artwork, and spatial elements to unfold within their own contexts.
Beyond the three exhibition zones lies the area for brand events, presentations, and retail. This space continues the material and spatial language while remaining intentionally understated. By reducing its visual presence, the focus remains on the exhibition experience, allowing the primary narrative to stay intact.
We see this exhibition not merely as a presentation of products, but as a spatial practice of perception. Scent, material, and body interact within a shared environment, turning a fleeting moment into a memorable experience. In the flow of time, space becomes a medium that holds the ephemeral, and a way for people to form a connection with the brand.
项目位置：杭州
设计公司：白菜设计
合作设计：About11
项目面积：105sqm
空间摄影：张一凡
Material choices emphasize familiarity and everyday use: wood, glazed tiles, and greenery, combined with the existing base condition. Informal furniture further softens the space, allowing it to feel closer to daily life than a styled retail interior.
项目位置：辽宁沈阳
设计公司：白菜设计
项目面积：360sqm
施工单位：阿军装饰
空间摄影：图派视觉
The spatial layout draws inspiration from the organically evolved fabric of European villages. Formed over time rather than by a single plan, their winding streets and irregular volumes create small, varied open spaces that naturally become social nodes. We sought a similar logic here: a plan that is dense yet breathable, compact without feeling compressed.
Materially, the design avoids overt symbolism in favor of neutral, objective finishes and a restrained color palette. Purple is introduced as the emotional tone of the space—not as decoration, but as a subtle intervention that softens the conservatism often associated with Western dining interiors, adding sensorial tension to an otherwise rational structure.
A light architectural base further enhances the relaxed atmosphere and leaves room for visual expression.
Large-scale murals act as a key perceptual layer within the space. Rather than conveying a specific narrative, they evoke an abstract sense of landscape through scale and color, forming an “atmospheric nature.” This visual extension blurs the spatial boundary, creating a transition between the interior and the realm of imagination. Soft furnishings and displays are conceived as extensions of the overall spatial language. Material textures and natural qualities are carried into furniture and objects, ensuring coherence at a tactile level and offering a continuous, unified experience through use and occupation.
The bar and prep counter serve as the space’s outward-facing interface. Everyday objects—tableware and products alike—are openly displayed, becoming part of the spatial expression. Connected to the open kitchen, the bar reveals the rhythms of preparation, turning process into presence and bringing people closer to the space and the food itself.
Ultimately, the Kerry Centre location of Le Canard Bistro is not intended as a place solely for dining, but as a setting for everyday urban life. Here, food, space, and people intersect, forming a relaxed yet grounded state of living that invites return and lingering.
项目位置：深圳罗湖万象城
委托方：ONEUP
设计公司：白菜设计
项目面积：216 sqm
施工单位：广州有意思文化有限公司
空间摄影：图派视觉
ONEUP is driven by an instinct to move freely upward. In this project, we merged athletic function, fashion expression, and a playful digital spirit into a spatial language that conveys an active, healthy, and optimistic lifestyle.
Athletic elements were abstracted and embedded in a lighter, more approachable way. Training and competition are translated into tangible spatial cues, allowing the spirit of movement to enter daily life with ease and openness. The space is defined by warmth and playfulness. Warm wood materials, layered compositions, and rhythmic assemblies create movement, allowing vitality to flow within a structured yet playful environment.
We aim to turn shopping into an exploratory, game-like experience. The space becomes more than a backdrop for retail—it is an adventure of movement, style, and joy.
项目位置：辽宁沈阳
设计公司：白菜设计
项目面积：102sqm
施工单位：异禀制造
空间摄影：图派视觉
We explored the essence of “pausing” and reorganized the philosophy of the pavilion through a contemporary lens, translating it into a space resilient to time, emotion, and shifting light.
Viewing and being viewed define the project’s core logic, creating layered visuals in a compact space. By refining the pavilion’s viewing principles, we let the interior and exterior interact—so the bar, roasting area, and service zone frame one another, turning everyday operations into part of the scenery.
Project information:
Status: built, 2025
Area: 450 sqm
Client: Murmurmoon
Location: Shanghai
Photography: Topia Vision
In defining the project, we captured the brand’s core attitude — youthful, vibrant, and warmly confident. We took the idea of a tropical, luxurious breeze as the central design motif, allowing the space to flow, wrap, and shimmer like air touched by light.
Blue and pale pink were chosen as the main tones. We envisioned a scene where a flamingo glides across a lake. Its reflection swaying on the water, balancing romance and vastness, with every horizon blooming beneath a free sky. For the façade, we used feather graphic elements cascading gently from top to bottom. They veil the unused second floor while refining the building’s proportions. Through the gaps between the feathers, the first-floor display and atmosphere subtly reveal themselves to the street.
In plan, the space is divided by a large structure core into two sections, posing a significant design challenge. We introduced curves to guide the view and connect the two areas through flowing lines. The curves act as a spatial link, and a gentle reminder that space does not end where it seems, nor does perception.
Inside, the display system is composed of varied curved surfaces, where garments and objects unfold like waves in motion. The romantic character of the brand continues through the details, creating dialogue, resonance, and quiet harmony within the space.
The project finds its balance between lightness and weight. Between commercial logic and emotional expression, we sought the brand’s most natural voice — creating a space not only to be seen, but to be felt.
Project information:
Status: built, 2025
Area: 104 sqm
Client: Songwu
Location: HangZhou
Photography: Zhang YiFan
“Each person is an island,” yet here, we hope the islands come together. We took the idea of an archipelago as the spatial metaphor, linking the interior zones through a series of articulated volumes. They remain distinct, yet softly connected.
The front area is open and lively. Toward the back, we designed movable chairs that guests can take outside — blurring the boundary between indoor and street life, and giving the place a sense of community and freedom. The spatial rhythm is intentionally slowed down. From the turning corner at the entrance to the long table deep inside, the circulation unfolds through pauses and gentle shifts rather than a straight line. This rhythm allows the space to breathe, and every shift of view carries a quiet sense of ease.
Material choices are deliberately restrained. Wood, tile, and cement form the primary palette, with subtle touches of metal and fabric woven in. The space avoids excessive decoration, allowing everyday warmth to unfold naturally in its details.
The design of Songwu is a reflection on gathering and connection. Rather than creating a space defined by form, we sought to keep it fluid and open — a place where fleeting moments of life can once again be felt in the play of light and shadow.
Project information:
Status: built, 2025
Area: 202 sqm
Client: Chording
Location: ShenYang
Photography: Topia Vision
The core transformation was to retain the double height while adding new mezzanines. A stage with two window views became the focal point, creating a centripetal field. Here, the relationship between performer and audience was redefined, as all functions unfolded around the stage, turning the space into a small theater.
The audience is an essential part of the space. With frequent performances and events, we wanted the venue to feel right at both high and low densities. Stairs and steps were designed as seating, while the second-floor walkway and the bridge to the office also became areas where people could gather and watch.
We integrated a flexible furniture system into the space, which can be concealed when needed, allowing the functions to overlap while maintaining the overall design integrity.
Professionalism was another key pursuit. Recording studios, classrooms, and display areas were rigorously designed, with soundproofing, lighting, and equipment underscoring our commitment to quality. Visitors not only see the instruments but also feel the respect and trust for music embedded here.
At the same time, we wanted warmth. In classrooms and communal areas, we introduced approachable furniture and details, making the space a place where musicians can create with ease, and the public can relax and engage.
To counter the limits of height, we used strong vertical gestures to create a sense of stretch. This vertical order softened the constraints of the beams, making the space appear more open and free. At the entrance, a black matrix wall with diffused light sets up a rhythmic array, with embedded LEDs adding dynamic, music-like visuals. Passing through this sequence into the main hall, one feels a gradual build-up of emotion. Chording is not simply a music venue, but a composite place that fuses performance, learning, exchange, and experience. We hope it becomes a bridge between musicians and the city, gathering diverse energies and continuously generating new possibilities.
Project information:
Status: built, 2025
Area: 185 sqm
Client: Wuxing Miaoyou
Location: YangZhou
Photography: Topia Vision
Given the irregular layout, we introduced axial lines and visual endpoints to create spatial order. Within a limited footprint, the plan organizes a clear rhythm and flow—guiding the eye from one scene to another, transitioning from light to dimness, from lounge area to exhibition core.
The core thangka gallery is set at the deepest end of the space. As light gradually dims and the pace slows, red walls and dark wood flooring create an immersive setting—inviting focus, reverence, and quiet contemplation.
Centered on the idea of "carrying art," we designed a refined and restrained display system. Wooden structures, fabric coverings, and hidden lighting offer stable presentation for the thangka pieces while forming a cohesive spatial language that complements and deepens the narrative of the experience.
We chose materials that echo the handcrafted, spiritual quality of thangka art. Natural elements like wood veneer, fabric, and travertine are used across floors, displays, and furniture surfaces—serving not as decoration, but as a quiet foundation that supports the space contemplative tone. Outside the core gallery, a long bar anchors the space. Together with a long table and movable furniture, it forms a relaxed lounge area suited for daily craft sessions or small gatherings—fostering intimate moments beyond the exhibition itself.
This space offers a quiet pause within the city. The thangkas hang at its deepest point, inviting visitors to slow down, to connect—with the artwork, with themselves, and with the stillness the space holds.
Project information:
Status: built, 2025
Area: 78 sqm
Client: Ununplan
Location: WuXi
Photography: Topia Vision
Departure exists in the fleeting moment between preparation and journey, a point charged with emotion and uncertainty. We translated this unfinished temporality into a visual language of "being packed." Every element in the space—counters, tables, chairs, displays, even lighting—is tightly bound with orange rope, like luggage waiting to be loaded and whisked away.
We avoided traditional renovation. The space is kept clean and white, open and unadorned. Everything is built from modular wooden components, dismountable structures, and furniture wrapped in a sense of "being packed", together creating a light, temporary, and flexible atmosphere.
All furnitures are made from raw wood boards of varying sizes, echoing a natural, rugged texture that hints at the idea of "the distant." Refined details—metal edges and custom rope grooves—bring precision to the roughness. These seemingly simple elements are grounded in deep consideration of proportion, rhythm, and structure. It may look like a spontaneous adventure, but every part holds up to close scrutiny.
UNUNPLAN's branding color is orange. Rather than using it broadly, we introduce it subtly, in the corners of furniture, rope knots, and structural joints. These touches echo the orange toned wood throughout the space, maintaining a sense of restraint while quietly suggesting readiness and momentum.
UNUNPLAN isn't a space built for efficiency or precision. It feels more like a pause mid-journey—unfinished, temporary, yet grounded in real life. We hope everyone who steps in can begin their own undefined path from here.
Project information:
Status: built, 2025
Area: 92 sqm
Client: Niceness Cafe
Location: ShenYang
Photography: Topia Vision
Inspired by the image of a coffee whirlpool, the entire space unfolds in a circular motion from the center outward. The bar, seating areas, floor patterns, and wall installations are all defined by sweeping curves. Like a drop of milk falling into dark coffee, the spatial elements gently ripple outward, diffusing softly from the core. The color palette echoes the gradients of coffee—from pale cream and oat to warm caramel and deep brown. Soft, pleated fabrics and layered wood finishes evoke subtle sensory associations.
Rather than adding decoration, we used minimal interventions to shape the spatial rhythm. Paved patterns on the floor define circulation and function, reinforcing the whirlpool concept. Low-profile seating ensures open sightlines, making watching part of the experience.
Project information:
Status: built, 2025
Area: 433 sqm
Client: Upstate Home
Location: NewYork
Photography: Topia Vision
White louvered shutters soften the sunlight, while pale gray and warm beige walls complement each other to create a space that feels clean yet full. Subtle textures—linen, wool, rattan—weave through the rooms, tying each corner together with quiet warmth.
The living and dining areas are designed as open, flexible spaces centered around the sofa, fireplace, and long dining table. It's a place where family and friends can gather warmly or quietly enjoy their own moments.
This is a home without overtly curated "design moments," yet it responds to daily life through subtle details—the warm touch of the wooden stair railing, dappled afternoon light on the stone floor, books and instruments quietly placed in corners—all lending a sense of ease and fullness to everyday living.
There is no deliberate complexity in the design—only a quiet response to the home's natural scale and layout. Through the warmth of materials and thoughtful furniture details, we aimed to create a sense of home. More than comfort, we hope residents find moments of connection and joy with loved ones woven into the everyday.
Status: built, 2025
Area: 472 sqm
Client: Zeeco
Location: ShenYang
Photography: Topia Vision
The original space featured a double-height volume with a generous scale. We introduced a partial mezzanine while keeping the ground-floor retail area fully open. The recessed second floor creates a sense of vertical continuity and preserves maximum visual openness.
Bread is more than a product—it should feel present and visible in the space. From the entrance, one can see the full process of display and preparation, as well as the upstairs seating, lighting, and activity. The result is an open and transparent theatre. The street-facing façade is composed in two parts: a solid stone wall that anchors the entrance, and a fully openable folding door system that connects the interior with an outdoor café area.
The exterior features a beige brick with a subtly uneven texture, paired with warm wood tones and soft lighting to create a gentle, restrained visual language—echoing the brand's philosophy of rustic refinement.
We aimed for maximum openness on the ground floor. When the folding glass doors are open, the aroma of bread, the light from the street, and people enjoying coffee flow seamlessly together. The space is designed to grow organically with atmosphere, rather than be defined strictly by function.
The central bread counter on the ground floor remains fully open to the double height, surrounded by a mix of public and semi-private seating. Circulation flows naturally between the retail and dining areas, creating a dynamic interplay of seeing and being seen.
We designed the second floor as a space for lingering. In contrast to the fluidity of the ground level, this area invites a slower pace. Seating is loosely arranged among bookshelves, ceramics, trolleys, and greenery, elements that create a relaxed atmosphere suited for reading, small gatherings, dates, or informal meetings. The space is framed by elements like solid wood, clay jars, flour sacks, and shelves, creating a sense of simplicity and ease. These scenes are neither purely functional nor decorative. They feel like everyday fragments evoked by the scent of bread. This reflects our approach: not to fill the space, but to leave room for imagination and daily life.
ZEECO is a node—an ongoing experiment in the everyday culture of bread. We hope it becomes more than a bakery, growing into part of the neighborhood's rhythm—a place to stumble upon, to linger in, to open up. Like fermentation, it's a slow unfolding of flavor.
About
Founded by Kaiwen Zhao, Baicai is shaped by his interdisciplinary background in design and architecture. Zhao studied Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Architecture at the Yale School of Architecture. He currently teaches in the Department of Industrial Design at RISD, and has previously taught at the University of Colorado Denver, lectured at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and served as a guest critic at Syracuse University.
Baicai approaches space beyond the conventional boundaries of interior design, bringing together architectural and product design thinking to address spatial questions. Through different scales of intervention, we explore the relationships between space, objects, and human behavior.
2026
Paris Design Awards Winner
2026
MUSE Design Awards Gold Winner
2026
Dezeen China Rising Firm of the Year
2025
POSITION Award China Best 100 Young Architect
2024
Guangzhou Design Week 40 Under 40
2024
AD China 100 YOUNG
2022-2024
Architizer Best Young Interior Design Firm Special Mention
2024
Forbes China 30 Under 30
2023
FRAME Small Residential of the year Shortlisted
2023
FRAME Award Best Emerging Designer Nominee
2023
APIDA Design Award Excellence Award
2023
FRAME Pop-up Store of the Year
2022
FRAME Window Display of the Year Shortlisted
2022
WYDF TOP 100 Designer
2022
Dezeen Award Shortlisted
2022
Architecture Masterprize Best of The Bests
2022
AD China 100 YOUNG
2020-2022
Architecture Masterprize Honorable Mention
2022
KUKAN Design Award Shortlisted
2022
DNA Award Winner in Workplace Design
2022
DNA Award Honorable Mention in Workplace Design
2022
DNA Award Honorable Mention in Showroom Design
2022
K-Design Award Winner
2022
Novum Design Award Gold Award
2022
Novum Design Award Silver Award
2022
IDA Design Award Honorable Mention
2022
FRAME Best of the Month
2022 April
Design for Asia Award Bronx Award
2021
Design for Asia Award Excellence Award
2021
IDEA Design Award Finalist
2021
Golden Pin Design Award Winner
2021
Golden Pin Design Award Honorable Mention
2022
by Tincidunt Nisl
2024
Ullamcorper Faucibus (Congue) Euismod, by Ligula Parturient, Bibendum Review Porta Libero
2023
Dictumst Tristique, Facilisis Magazine, Edition Two, Porta Libero
2021
Auctor Adipiscing Art Magazine, Porta Libero
2020
Sollicitudin Ornare Magazine,
Porta Libero
2020
by Tincidunt Nisl
2024
Ullamcorper Faucibus (Congue) Euismod, by Ligula Parturient, Bibendum Review Porta Libero
2023
Dictumst Tristique, Facilisis Magazine, Edition Two, Porta Libero
2021
Auctor Adipiscing Art Magazine, Porta Libero
2020
Sollicitudin Ornare Magazine,
Porta Libero
2020