Draga & Aurel are one of design’s most colourful duos
By Anna Solomon
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.
