Synergy: design couple Draga & Aurel
Acclaimed design duo Draga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow live and work in the charming Italian city of Como. As each other’s sounding boards, they continually inspire and challenge one another, leading to exceptional results.
“‘Inspiration means being deeply moved by another person’s spiritual experience. However my creativity manifests, that inspiration amplifies the creativity that’s already within me’”
‘We are in symbiosis; he is my muse, and I am his,’ says designer Draga Obradovic (1964) about her and her partner, Aurel K. Basedow (1963). This dynamic has borne fruit over the past decades, both personally and professionally, as they have become each other's perfect sparring partners. Since 2007, they have been running Draga & Aurel, a multidisciplinary studio and workshop for art and design. With their rich backgrounds – hers in fashion and textiles, his in fine arts and furniture making—and their unique vision, they have firmly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
Today, we speak with the visionary and sophisticated couple from their home base in Como, often considered the epicenter of Italy's textile and design industry. They reside in an apartment within a historic 20th-century building, perched on a hill with a lush garden surrounding it and startling views over Lake Como. In the basement, a garage houses a cabinet of curiosities filled with the pair’s finds and collections. A winding path leads down the hill, making it just a few minutes’ walk to their studio in the city center.
Upon entering the studio, one is immediately struck by the presence of several of Draga & Aurel's iconic pieces: the candy-colored, stacked Bon Bon coffee tables and the Claire lamp, composed of elongated Lucite rods. The space is filled with enchanting, iridescent objects that exude kinetic energy, yet without becoming overly whimsical. The work commands attention, standing strong with a rock-'n'-roll character artfully balancing contrasting colors and materials, resulting in a timeless quality.
When they first moved into this former sewing workshop in 2005, it became a playground for experimentation with various techniques. The floor was coated with epoxy resin, which has since become one of their signature materials, often combined with brass and metal. The couple even pioneered an innovative method for pouring the resin in a way that preserves the vibrancy of colors and allows for the creation of dynamic, unique patterns. They have also been trailblazers in upcycling vintage and second-hand furniture. Initially, they worked with textiles, but soon their successful test cases included treating cabinets and other wooden furniture with, again, colored epoxy resin—transforming old junk into design-worthy pieces. This brilliant insight caught the attention of furniture giant Baxter at the 2009 Salone del Mobile, leading to large-scale production of the line. It was an immediate hit.
Although Italy is their adopted home, where they find they truly flourish, both have roots elsewhere. Aurel was born in Munich, grew up in Germany, and later studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Milan and the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. Draga hails from Serbia, studied at the same academy in Florence, and had a stint as a model and fashion designer, freelancing in London, Paris, and Belgrade before returning to her beloved Italy, where she found her true calling in textile design.
The two met in Florence through a mutual friend. 'We even lived in the same city at the same time, but we never crossed paths,' Aurel recalls. But once they connected, it was instant. They were best friends for a year and a half, engaged for a year, and now have been married for twenty-nine years.
Their artistic exchange flows effortlessly; they intuitively understand each other and offer the necessary perspective. 'With my Serbian background, I’m more drawn to folk influences and decorative elements,' Draga explains. 'Aurel, he’s more like Rembrandt. Dark, austere, stripping everything down to its essence.' She removes her reading glasses, glances at him with her dark eyes, and fondly recalls their early days together: 'He was a bit of a hermit. Ate macrobiotic, did a lot of yoga, and had something very esoteric about him. He still holds on to his healthy habits because that’s how he thrives best. We both do, by now.' He’s serious, she’s playful, but both share a finely tuned sense of aesthetics. And when necessary, they help each other kill their darlings. 'You see,' says Draga, 'I’ll be working on a collection—right now, for instance, an extension of the Flare collection for Todd Merrill Studio—where Aurel isn’t that involved. Halfway through or at the end of the process, he’ll come in, and immediately spot what works and what doesn’t.' It works the other way around too. Draga might walk into the painting studio, take a look and say, 'This is phenomenal!' Or, 'Hmm, you’re being too complacent, I think you’re in your comfort zone...' Sometimes emotions run high, and they often have heated discussions, but in the end, everything gets better because of it.
He describes his painting as a mix of appropriation and iconoclasm. As a child, Aurel often visited pinacothecas (galleries and rooms in homes, often dedicated to paintings) with his father, where he was completely captivated by the works of Old Masters, including Rembrandt and Rubens. 'I was so impressed, so overwhelmed by the play of shadows, the light and darkness, the gradations of color, but I didn’t know what to do with it. Until now.'
A few years ago, when he was at home brimming with pent-up energy, he began sketching. Small, intimate drawings, of which he still creates countless numbers. Meanwhile, he started painting over images of artists like Claude Monet and Edgar Degas, found in books picked up at the antique market. Aurel says, 'It’s as if I completely destroy the painting, then rebuild it bit by bit, breathing new life into it. It’s a very emotional process, with a lot of guilt involved, even stemming from my childhood, but it feels like I can’t stop myself.'
He calls this ongoing book series his paper icons. In the meantime, he’s also working on a display for Bergdorf Goodman in New York, while simultaneously tuning in with Draga and the team for the many other projects underway.
Baxter. Wall&decò. Gallotti&Radice. Todd Merrill Studio. Aurel & Draga's creative vision resonates with major brands and galleries, as well as the grande dames of Milan's influential design scene. It all started with Rossana Orlandi, known for putting emerging designers on the map, and eventually, Nina Yashar of Nilufar Gallery. During Nomad 2019, the design duo presented an installation in the newly restored Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel. 'That felt like a new breakthrough for us,' Draga recalls. 'I remember seeing Nina, this colorful, understatedly cool persona, in the entrance of the palazzo, and I thought: this is my chance! I spontaneously approached her, but she responded firmly: not my style. Phew, I had to cool off afterward by taking a boat ride on the water because that rejection really hit me.'
However, fate had other plans. A year later, Nina Yashar reached out to them, this time expressing genuine interest. They seized the opportunity with both hands. Draga shares, 'She has this aura around her that makes her seem very inaccessible, unapproachable. But when she came over, she was so delightful! It felt like two girls playing around, and that’s how the Candy Box collection (which includes the Bon Bon coffee tables) came to life.'
During the day, they are often in their own world and workspace, but in their free time, they enjoy taking their motorboat out on the lake ('our little private island') or watching inspiring documentaries together. Just last night, they watched one they found 'overwhelmingly beautiful': Anselm by German filmmaker Wim Wenders, about painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer. 'Just imagine,' Aurel says passionately, 'he has a massive estate of no less than eighty hectares in Barjac, France (also known as La Ribaute), where he creates and exhibits all his art. It must be one of the largest artist complexes in the world right now. Impressive. He can express himself without any spatial limitations, and he does so with great finesse. You witness his daily process: he cycles back and forth, cultivates herbs, grabs some wire, takes photos, and somehow brings it all together in a wondrous way.' Draga agrees with her husband: 'It feels very poetic. And for us, even though we don't do exactly what Kiefer does, it's incredibly expansive. It motivates you to think big.'
For both of them, inspiration is never direct but always indirect. Aurel explains, 'Inspiration means being deeply moved by another person's spiritual experience, like when I see Kiefer at work. However my creativity manifests, that inspiration amplifies the creativity that's already within me.'
Although they are overflowing with ideas, Draga and Aurel find the rapid pace of the design industry in recent years somewhat stifling. Draga explains, 'It’s become like fashion. And for fashion, that pace might make sense – you might indeed want a different dress next summer. But design – a chandelier, a dining table – should last much longer. We’re burning through ideas one after another, there’s overproduction, and truly great work as an artist requires time.'
They are not opposed to artificial intelligence, however. 'We’ve tried a program called Ghost Whisperer. It’s like a kind of preliminary research. For example, we might think, let’s create chairs that inflate like balloons. Puffy chairs. We can then use AI to visualize that idea in different ways before developing it further. In Milan, we saw a presentation by a well-known watchmaker using AI. It was amazing! It’s a useful tool, but it can’t replace thorough research, the process, the real depth. It’s like masticare (chewing): if you don’t chew it completely, you can’t fully taste it.'
Their twentieth anniversary is still on the horizon, but it’s swiftly approaching. Draga is visibly excited. 'I would love to organize a retrospective at an art institution or design museum, showcasing a reflection on our work – highlighting what we've accomplished for different galleries or in various materials. We spend a lot of time looking ahead, but sometimes it's also important to look back and celebrate your milestones and progress.'
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