Draga & Aurel are one of design’s most colourful duos – check out their jewel-like resin pieces

Draga Obradovic and Aurel K Basedow’s studio in Como, Italy, is nothing short of magical. Entering the space is like stepping into a Willy Wonka factory for design: vast, abstract artworks hang on the walls, neon lights hum above retro-futuristic furniture, and colourful resin surrounds you – stacked in disks, waiting to be transformed, or meticulously moulded and carved into the studio’s signature creations.

Since founding their studio in 2007, the married duo have built a practice that resists easy categorisation. Their work sits at the intersection of radical Italian postmodernism, the 21st-century collectible design movement and neo-futurism, with nods to the aesthetics of the 1970s and 1980s. Obradovic’s background in fashion and textile design merges with Basedow’s eye for photography and visual composition (his paintings and conceptual art run alongside the studio’s design practice), creating an alchemical, Arte Povera-adjacent approach.

Resin is Draga & Aurel’s medium of choice, which is endlessly experimented with, yielding forms that feel organic, layered and almost geological. It is often paired with textiles, reclaimed surfaces, bronze, brass, cast glass and concrete – these unconventional materials combine in unpredictable ways, creating surfaces that shimmer, absorb, resist and transform, always leaving visible traces of process. The studio rejects rigid methods or predetermined outcomes; each object is a record of exploration.

From the very beginning, this ethos defined their work: Draga & Aurel first emerged as pioneers of upcycling, as seen in early collections such as 'Deshabillé' and 'Heritage'. In 'Deshabillé', armchairs were stripped bare to reveal their internal structure; in 'Heritage', midcentury pieces were restored and transformed through layered resin, pigment and colour.

Draga & Aurel’s debut at Milan Design Week in 2009 introduced their work to the wider design world, leading to collaborations with major brands such as Baxter, Wall&Deco, Visionnaire, Gallotti&Radice, Poltrona Frau and Giorgetti. With Visionnaire, the studio produced iconic pieces such as the 'Mira' and 'Aries' armchairs and the 'Lego' console, as well as the 'Narrazioni Intrecciate' (Interwoven Narratives) exhibition – an entire immersive environment, rather than just individual design pieces.

In 2019, Draga & Aurel’s Milan presentation, 'Transparency Matters', cemented their reputation as masters of see-through design. The collection explored how light, colour and volume interact and refract within clear materials, with overtones of minimalism, Space Age and optical art. In April 2026, the pair will return to Milan at Galleria Rossana Orlandi (where their 2025 presentation was one of our highlights at the gallery) with an exhibition that reinterprets the sliding door, centred around a diptych by Basedow.

​​Draga & Aurel’s work is bold without being brash, and playful without sacrificing sophistication. In an increasingly seamless, streamlined design world, it is genuinely refreshing to encounter pieces that feel like true alchemy – both in the processes behind their creation and in the magical, fantastical results.

draga-aurel.com

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