Private residence : Gaocheng xinju

Project

Retail
Cultural
Restaurants and Bar
Cafe and Bakery
Other

The project is located in the city center of Shenyang, where the neighborhood is filled with a mature, lived-in atmosphere. The clients are a family of three. We readjusted the original floor plan into a new layout with two suites. Regular volumetric interpenetration and interaction form a unified interior language, creating a living experience with a sense of order and ritual. Through the atmospheric rendering of artworks and soft furnishings, emotions are abundant yet not indulgent, and life is simple yet not rigid.

Project Info:

Status: built, 2022
Area: sqm
Client: Gaocheng Xinju
Location: Shenyang
Photography: Topia Vision

The living room features windows on two sides, offering unobstructed, excellent city views. The open-plan layout accommodates a multifunctional living area, dining area, and western kitchen. The space is exceptionally open and airy, and this transparency connects with the drifting clouds above the high-rise and the nature of the wind. The overall palette pairs off-white artistic coating and marble with small accents of leather and fabric, composing the modern texture of the living room. Geometric structures, line proportions, and the combination of various materials achieve visual balance, allowing one to fully enjoy the understated sophistication it brings.

In terms of spatial layout, each functional space transitions through the connection and transformation of materials. The living room extends outward as a white, transparent "square box," while the kitchen recedes inward as a dark, metallic "box." The water purification system and central appliances that need to be hidden are all tucked into a utility room, connected to the kitchen by a concealed door, granting the space a sense of control. A minimal material palette, rich details, and a transparent quality—this is our understanding and pursuit of pure space.

The entrance space connects northward to the study, bedroom suite, walk-in closet, and vanity area. Materials actively distinguish the active and quiet zones through texture and color.

The master suite's theme color points to an elegant blue, echoed in the bedding, sofa, and art paintings. Sunlight filters through the sheer curtains, quietly spilling in. It transitions subtly within a delicate scale, exuding a lingering, elegant aura that is calm, natural, and slowly unfolds. When materials are pushed to their absolute limit, no additional decoration is needed. The beauty of the material itself is the original beauty, and further combed by fine, dense light, it becomes even more touching.

The secondary bedroom has a deeper, more subdued overall atmosphere. By controlling the proportion of materials used, a rhythmic balance is achieved, bringing a tranquil and warm ambiance. The relationship between each area remains semi-open, once again emphasizing an open and free living experience. Above the vanity in the bathroom, a strip of translucent glass blocks introduces natural light, opening up light sharing and emotional flow within the bedroom suite. Just a small touch, yet it greatly enhances comfort.

The warm gray study expresses the beauty of rationality in a tranquil tone. Simple forms often possess purer aesthetic characteristics, such as the ingenious interpenetration of volumes and the cross-shaped light strip embedded in the curved ceiling, which unexpectedly adds a playful touch. We aimed to reduce surface furnishings to achieve an "empty" atmosphere, designing concealed storage functions to free up more public space.

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