AXOR — Baicai Design

Project

Retail
Cultural
Restaurants and Bar
Cafe and Bakery
Other

AXOR

AXOR is a premium bathroom brand from Germany under the Hansgrohe Group, dedicated to creating luxurious water experiences through cutting-edge design and exceptional craftsmanship. The brand collaborates with renowned designers such as Philippe Starck and Antonio Citterio to present a distinctive bathroom aesthetic defined by architectural clarity and personalization.

Project Info:

Status: built, 2025
Area: 15 sqm
Client: AXOR
Location: ShenYang
Photography: Topia Vision

In this exhibition space, we sought to create a setting infused with Chinese spiritual sensibilities, integrating products and architecture through a curatorial approach. Rather than simply recreating a usage scenario, we designed an immersive installation where the products are organically embedded as part of the spatial narrative.

We hope this space, through a contemporary Eastern consumer context, conveys a sense of inclusivity and universal harmony, allowing the brand's identity to take root locally. At its core, the design is inspired by the spiritual and poetic imagination of the Ancient East.

The design distills the ideas of landscape and origin as conceptual cues, abstracting the spirit of the Ancient East into spatial form. The imagery of mountains and water is translated into layered spatial sequences, with stone materials shaping a terrain that evokes both ancient memory and a sense of the future.

The space creates an immersive atmosphere through dark stone, a black-toned environment, and sound effects, directing the viewer's focus to the products. The deep, monochromatic backdrop further highlights the refinement and perceived value of each piece.

Aligned with the brand's concept of a "narrative of water," the installation is brought to life by a fully functional water system. Every product on display is operable, inviting visitors to engage directly with flowing water. As it moves through the stone structures and nourishes live moss, the system reveals a raw, evolving vitality over time.

Bathing is a cultural ritual shared across civilizations. Originating in the West and taking root in the East, the brand finds new resonance through this exhibition space. Here, Western-designed products engage in a meaningful dialogue with an Eastern sense of origin, reflecting a deeper cultural exchange.

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