
About Jelena Obradov, Obradov Studio – Innovation Stage Designer
Step into the Innovation Stage at Independent Hotel Show Amsterdam. Designed as an immersive hospitality environment, it offers a moment away from the busy show floor — a place to pause, connect, and explore new ideas shaping the future of hotel design, brought to life by Jelena Obradov, founder of Obradov Studio.
Jelena Obradov is the founder and creative director of Obradov Studio, a full-service interior design studio specialising in residential and hospitality spaces.
Jelena approaches each project as a complete story — designing spaces where flow, atmosphere and personal narrative come together to create a cohesive and immersive experience.
Step inside the mind behind the IHA26 Innovation Stage
With a background in business and marketing (amongst others at Heineken), I followed my passion for interiors and completed a postgraduate degree in Interior Design in Barcelona.
Every design starts from a narrative (an interior story) tailored to the space and its users. From there, I develop a layered and fitting design. A key element is bespoke work, I put a great deal of time in detailing joinery. In residential projects, this is often visible in the kitchen, which I design more as a piece of furniture than a traditional row of cabinet blocks. There is also always a surprising element to be found. Whether it’s bold, like a striking restroom, or subtle, like distinctive cabinet knobs. In hospitality projects, the concept is carried through on an even larger scale across all spaces.
Round forms - softened wall corners, bullnose finishes on countertops, waves and arches.
Patterns - people are falling in love again with patterns in textiles. Whether on a banquette or a stool, it adds a subtle playfulness to the overall design.
First and foremost, I see this as a wonderful design challenge. Designing a stage offers a great deal of freedom, it can be more outspoken than other types of projects, yet it is also constrained by its two-dimensional nature. Together with our partners, I hope to showcase more facets of my design style, and who knows it might lead to a hospitality commission.
Designing the Innovation Stage
"I wanted to combine stage design with the way I would design a hotel lobby or speakeasy. Stage design revolves around sightlines and the experience of a space from a distance, while hospitality design is about atmosphere from every angle and an intimate spatial experience. The idea is that the stage feels almost like opening a jewelry box, in deep green tones, with layers in both the walls and the materials. Think wallpaper, wood, glass, velvet, marble and rich textiles. The large beads by Big Beads act as sculptural accents, while the curved sofa by Duran Interiors provides a soft landing for the speakers. The result is a theatrical stage that invites the audience to briefly step into another setting during the event".
Jelena Obradov, Obradov Studio
The Vision
