panhouse — Baicai Design

panhouse

Panhouse is a fashion store in Shenyang, focusing on brands and products with a strong sense of value. The brand seeks to establish an experience that resonates with its identity through space.

Project Info:

Status: built, 2026
Area: 118 sqm
Client: panhouse
Location: ShenYang
Photography: Topia Vision

The site occupies a relatively quiet edge along the riverside, with an original plan defined by pronounced angles and an irregular geometry. In response to the existing conditions, we divided the space into two zones—the front and the back—using a series of turns to mediate between different functions and spatial atmospheres.

In the front area, we created an open space with a sense of enclosure. A continuous arrangement of columns establishes spatial order while giving the entrance a sense of ritual and presence. Decorative elements and display functions are interwoven between the columns, allowing function and enclosure to merge into a layered spatial interface.

Through the gaps between the columns in the front area, visitors naturally move into the back space. More private than the front, this area accommodates displays, lounge, and fitting rooms. By lowering portions of the ceiling, we create a more enveloping spatial scale, further reinforcing a sense of privacy through both visual and bodily perception.

The overall material palette is centered around warm brown tones, responding to the character of the products and the sense of quality the brand seeks to convey. More tactile materials are introduced in selected areas, where the contrast between sisal and stone, together with the textures of wood and textured paint, creates a dialogue between warmth and rawness.

The scale and details of the space are further articulated through furniture, styling, and displays. Objects, furniture, and products are arranged in dialogue with one another, allowing the displays to become not only a means of presenting products, but also an integral part of the spatial composition.

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.