Baci Baci

BACI BACI

Design studio for buildings, interiors, exhibitions, objects

Guided by research, we see design as an opportunity to experiment on the real world.

Baci Baci strips additional layers back to dig deeper. Daily ritual, unexpected interactions. Places for people: to sit; shelter; experience; convene.

Founded by Nicola Cortese, Baci Baci is a New York-based studio with projects in buildings, interiors, exhibitions: permanent, temporary and undetermined.

Steeped in collaboration, conversation and cultural engagement—our projects begin in the present, return to the past, and extend to the future.

CONTACT

SERVICES

Interior Design (Concept-Construction)

Exhibition & Installation Design

Custom Furniture & Millwork Design

Furniture Specification & Procurement

Concept, Test Fit, and Feasibility Development 

Community Engagement

Scenography

Art Direction & Interior Styling

Visualization

Project Management 

Research & Design Journalism

In Collaboration with Sens

Architectural Material & Component Reuse and Repurposing

Design and Documentation for Disassembly (and Reassembly)

Material & Component Inventories

Material Research & Innovation

BIO

Nicola Cortese is the Founder and Principal of Baci Baci.

B.ARCH, M.ARCH
License (Aus - ARBV): 800199

Nicola is a NYC-based architect, educator, and researcher with over a decade of experience across architecture, interior design, and design publishing. Her work has taken place in New York, Melbourne, and Tokyo, with a particular focus on public libraries, cultural institutions, and mission-driven organizations throughout the U.S.

Nicola leads two design practices: Baci Baci, a New York–based design studio, and Sens, an emerging practice exploring material reuse and innovation. These two practices ebb and flow into each other, feeding Sens’ research and joint expertise into U.S.-based projects.

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Nicola holds both a Bachelor Degree and Master of Architecture from RMIT University, where she was the recipient of the Anne Butler Memorial Prize. She is an alum of the School of Visual Arts (SVA), Design Research, Writing, and Criticism Residency and has taught extensively in the undergraduate and graduate courses at RMIT University and The University of Melbourne.

Prior to founding Baci Baci, Nicola was the Lead Interior Designer at Margaret Sullivan Studio, working predominantly with public libraries across the US; Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Hartford Public Library, and Anne Arundel County Libraries to name a few, as well as other mission-driven clients; Theatre for a New Audience, Student Leadership Network and the Center for Fiction.

COLLABORATORS
SENS

Baci Baci is built on the foundation of a longstanding collaboration with Lauren Crockett and Stephanie Pahnis. For all international project enquiries, please reach out to
Sens, our collaborative practice.

READ

Stay tuned.

WITH GRATITUDE

We acknowledge the Lenape people, the traditional custodians of Lenapehoking, where Baci Baci practices, and the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation, custodians of Naarm, whose Country shaped our learning.

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Animation: Smooker Studio
Words/Editing: Morgan Meier

WORK

For current projects, visit our Instagram or email us for our Studio Profile & Portfolio.
Visit Sens, our sister practice.

On-Site Prototyping: Custom Table for Neversink House

Small is the domain of the detail. Inspired by details all over the world and always a sense of play and humor—we design custom objects, furniture, and millwork as singular items, or as part of a holistic design project. Collaborating with craftspeople and artists to create both collectible and everyday items.

Brooklyn Theatre Lobby Renovations

Medium is the domain of interior spaces. Whether we’re designing an exhibition, a library or a house, we bring the same level of creativity and experimentation. Our interiors are adaptable—embracing improvisation and DIY culture that encourages evolution over time.

Competition Proposal in Lincoln, MA

Large is the domain of buildings. We work with architects to design buildings that are completely integrated from the smallest to largest detail. Interiors that are distinctly architectural. We seek out opportunities for reuse and reinvention, never defaulting to a tabula rasa.

Relics of NYC Past: Moments of Reuse

Extra-Large is the domain beyond buildings. We’re a research-heavy practice, working on projects that are both speculative and concrete. We question and experiment on the systems that impact the built world and relish the opportunity for design to start conversations.

Reinvention, adaptation, experimentation are what brought us here and will continue to lead us, all projects and every object.

Baci Baci’s structure is informed by S, M, L, XL—the mammoth compendium by Rem Koolhaas/OMA and Bruce Mau.