For Milan Design Week 2023, Como, Italy based Draga & Aurel are back for the second time with a new project for Nilufar, an art and design gallery in Milan. Space Couture is a collection of furnishings that give Op Art and outer space vibes with vivid colors and reflective surfaces. “In this age of darkness, we need to be lighthearted, carefree, and ‘sparkling.’ With our new project for Nilufar, we want to impart these positive, luminous vibes,” say Draga & Aurel.
The pair looked to the 1970s for inspiration, when design and artistic experimentation were happening, a “period of rupture, fusion, and much creativity.” They immersed themselves into the optical illusions of the Op Art period, the blown up works of Jeff Koons, and other inflatable objects, like the Blow Inflatable Armchair by Jonathan De Pas, Donato D’Urbino, and Paolo Lomazzi. The resulting collection is fun and playful, with an ability to live in any decade.
The SABOT armchair looks straight out of the Space Age, easily at home in the Jetson’s apartment with its shiny surface coated in laminates and a glossy varnish. The BON BON appliques are like glowing, colorful candies that originally began as tables but have morphed onto the walls as lights. And lastly, the resin column CLAIRE LAMP gives nod to Victor Vasarely’s Op Art from the 60s and 70s with its fluted exterior, vibrant colors, and distorted geometry. The backdrop to the installation features custom Wall&Deco wallpaper that Draga & Aurel designed with colorful brushstrokes specifically for the show.
Photo: Federica Lissoni
Photo: Federica Lissoni
Photo: Federica Lissoni
Photo: Federica Lissoni
Photo: Federica Lissoni
Photo: Federica Lissoni
Space Couture was on display at Nilufar 25, Via della Spiga 32 in Milan from April 18 – 23, 2023.
Gallery photos by Riccardo Gasperoni.
