SAUCE UP — Baicai Design

Project

Retail
Cultural
Restaurants and Bar
Cafe and Bakery
Other

SAUCE UP

SAUCE UP is a delicate western-style diner in Shenyang. Its name is a reference from Pink Floyd's album A Saucerful of Secrets. The space sparks diversity. It is fragmented yet all-inclusive, hoping to convey a sense of casual and coziness.

Project Info:

Status: built, 2022
Area: sqm
Client: SAUCE UP
Location: ShenYang
Photography: Topia Vision

The diner is located on the first floor of a street in the old district of Shenyang. The storefront faces two sides. Since the site used to be a grocery store, the original layout is mostly one open space, enclosed by floor-to-ceiling windows.

The original floorplan had an irregular shape. The pillars were asymmetrical and illogically placed. We took into account the locations of the pillars as well as the dining experience to partition the space into different functional areas, creating a harmonious ambience.

The first thing one sees walking into the space is an open bar and the kitchen area. The dining area is to the left. It includes three sections: long communal tables, booths and regular tables. Customers could see through to the floricultural area at the end of the dining area. There is also a designated door for the floricultural section, allowing customers to enter and exit.

A lounge area is to the right of the entrance, providing space for people to interact. The general layout is open, self-explanatory, and allows the different functional areas to interact freely.

We intentionally kept certain parts of the original structure. The original expansion of the space by the steel and wooden panels are remnants of the history here. We used metallic and wooden colors in the space to match the original color scheme. By inserting in the long tables, it not only accentuates traces of the original space, but also helps weaken the sense of separation from the pillars.

The design uses green and brown as the main visual scheme. It gives a certain American vintage style. They are also the colors of vitality and nature. The colors of the original space, the materials of the walls and the floor, the custom-made furniture, the art pieces, and the interior design all follow the main color scheme. The presentation in entirety shows a space that communicates and connects from within. Because of this visual framework, the power of the colors expands and bleeds into the space.

SAUCE, communicates an openness that's like a dynamic seasoning. BISTRO, a light relaxing vibe. We hope SAUCE UP BISTRO is a place where people and food can meet freely. We designed a space that creates relationships, fluidity and contrast, all as a part of the dynamic experience of the restaurant.

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