BACI BACI

Design studio for buildings, interiors, exhibitions, objects



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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.


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SERVICESInterior 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