+R Bakery — Baicai Design

Project

Retail
Cultural
Restaurants and Bar
Cafe and Bakery
Other

+R Bakery

The +R Bakery Archive Shop is a bakery located in Shenyang that integrates baking production and operation. We aim to maintain the storefront's openness to the street while reflecting the professionalism of the products through design. We have identified the design theme of the space as the "Bakery Archive," and we plan to incorporate archival-themed installations for displaying our bread.

Project Info:

Status: built, 2023
Area: 211 sqm
Client: +R Bakery
Location: ShenYang
Photography: Topia Vision

The processes of bread making, ingredient ratios, and descriptions will also be presented in the form of archives within the space. The +R Bakery Archive Shop is a bakery located in Shenyang that integrates baking production and operation. We aim to maintain the storefront's openness to the street while reflecting the professionalism of the products through design. We have identified the design theme of the space as the "Bakery Archive," and we plan to incorporate archival-themed installations for displaying our bread. The processes of bread making, ingredient ratios, and descriptions will also be presented in the form of archives within the space.

The site is created by merging two adjacent shops. We have implemented a unified treatment of the façade and established stepped seating blocks at the entrance. These blocks provide seamless connectivity between the indoor and outdoor spaces, breaking down the boundaries between them. This enhances the spatial extension characteristics and fosters a highly flexible interactive environment.

In order to convey a sense of relaxation within the space, we aim for an unrestricted environment where every guest can choose their own way of being in the space. Instead of a conventional layout with tables and chairs, we have transformed the entire operational area into an open outdoor plaza concept. At the center of this plaza, we have introduced a "furniture container" where individuals can obtain the required tables and chairs. They are free to choose their furniture and seating, thereby embodying the overall shop's sense of freedom.

We have chosen approachable materials to construct this bakery space, including stone, metal, embossed steel panels, white checkered tiles, and more. We have directly applied signage and typography to certain surfaces, straightforwardly conveying the functionality and content of the space to people. We aim to create a sense of "everyday ambiance" by combining materials and their applications to provide a novel yet familiar atmosphere.

+R serves as a vehicle for relaxation, allowing people to freely interact within it. Ultimately, our goal is to create a space that is approachable to people, a store that is connected to the community.

About

Baicai Design is a multidisciplinary design practice based in New York and Shenyang, working across architecture, interiors, exhibitions, and spatial design. Its practice spans different geographies, scales, and cultural contexts.

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.

Awards

FRAME Wellness Space of the year Shortlisted
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

Vestibulum Inceptos Gravida, Ornare Review,
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

Press