Design activations by Draga & Aurel at Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile.Milano

During Milan Design Week 2026, Draga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow, founders of the Italian multidisciplinary studio Draga & Aurel, will present two design collections that include The Shift at Galleria Rossana Orlandi, along with Affinity in Light at Salone Raritas, a new show format dedicated to collectible design, which debuts at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026.

The Shift is an immersive installation that reinterprets the sliding door as both a physical mechanism and a conceptual framework. Anchored by a diptych painting by Basedow, the work evolves through the intervention of translucent lucite panels painted with epoxy resin by Obradovic. “Their shifting, non-contact overlap continuously modulates the perceived depth, rhythm and visual intensity of the composition. A dynamic exchange of roles is thus set in motion. The painting is no longer a self-contained image, but part of a spatial structure; the design system is no longer merely functional but becomes an active agent of visual transformation,” the official press release reads.

At Salone Raritas, Hall 09, Booth 08, Draga & Aurel presents Glass Is Affinity, a new lighting design collection developed in collaboration with the historic Murano glass artist Salviati. These product designs mark a significant evolution in the duo’s material research, shifting their focus toward glass and its intimate relationship with light. “In their approach, glass surpasses its role as a simple means of production, giving way to artistic experimentation, a sensitive territory to explore and transform. Along this course, light becomes an active agent and an integral part of the material, its evolution and the way it is perceived,” the official release notes.

The Soffio lamp celebrates the expressive limits of blown glass, combining richly textured spherical forms with minimal metal bases. Light appears to emanate from within, diffusing through surfaces that are at once controlled and spontaneous. “Light appears to emerge from inside the object, spreading and taking shape like a living presence. Minimalist in its pure geometric forms, Soffio expresses a sense of extreme liberty in its surface treatment—always unique, vibrant and in motion,” the official release notes. In contrast, the Crisalide lamp investigates colour as substance: fused glass plates appear ethereal from afar, revealing a density that is animated by a stroke of light that suggests continuous evolution.

“With glass, we decided not to impose a shape, but rather, to listen to the material. Entering the glassworks and working alongside the master glassmakers means accepting the unpredictable and turning it into design. It’s the same approach that has always guided our research: to push materials beyond their conventional use, allowing them to suggest new expressive possibilities,” the studio states.