Chording — Baicai Design

Chording

Chording is a collective music space that brings together instrument display and sales, recording studios, and classrooms, while also hosting a variety of music events. It is envisioned not just as a venue, but as a cultural hub that gathers people and attracts talented musicians.

Project Info

Status: built, 2025
Area: 202 sqm
Client: Chording
Location: Shenyang
Photography: Topia Vision

The original site combined three apartments into one, with a 4.8-meter ceiling cut by deep beams. This brought challenges to the renovation, requiring us to carefully plan functions and balance proportions so the space could be efficient yet full of potential.

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.

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.

New York:
540 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY, 11201

Shenyang:
A07International Software Park, Shenyang, China

baicaidesignoffice@gmail.com

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

Press

Baicai Design’s work has received international media coverage across architecture, design, fashion, and culture. The studio has been featured in publications including Gestalten, INTERIORS, AD China, FRAME, Interior Design China, My Home, and id+c, alongside leading global platforms such as Dezeen, Leibal, Architizer, Divisare, Vogue, ELLE China, Yatzer, Cosmopolitan, gooood, Archilovers, Designverse, and Archello.