Lorenzo Design | Shaping What Nature Produces
Galician based Rayados S. Coop is a cooperative formed within a family nucleus, with a unique story. The origins of Rayados S. Coop began following the family's arrival to Spain from Uruguay in 2002 when they chose to settle in Santiago de Compostela because they fell in love with the human and cultural scale of this famous city.
Fernando, the father, worked for over a decade in the hotel industry but was made redundant in 2015. Having always enjoyed jobs which allowed him to be creative, he took the leap, along with his wife Isabel and Joaquín (their eldest son) who had just completed his carpentry studies, to set up their own wood craft workshop as a Cooperative - from this moment Rayados S. Coop was born.
Their wooden pieces are designed and made in the Estudio Sangiovanni workshop and marketed as Lorenzo Design. Sangiovanni and Lorenzo are the surnames of the family's ancestors and act as a tribute to the experimental, entrepreneurial and artistic spirit of the current generation's parents and grandparents.
Photo by Satrapa
Initially the family made paintings with recycled wood, coat racks, toys, bottle racks, table lamps and some tables. In 2017, as a result of the "Artesanía no Prato" meeting between artisans and chefs in Galicia, they realised that there was an opportunity to work within the gastronomic sector, which is particularly strong in Spain and they began a direct relationship with Javier Olleros from Culler de Pau, a two Michelin star restaurant in Pontevedra, Galicia.
This challenging experience of working within the highest levels of Spanish gastronomy highlighted the enormous creative opportunities that were possible in producing bespoke items for hotels and restaurants. This led to the closure of their retail store to focus on gastronomy and conduct their research into the best woods to work with - noble woods, from sustainably managed forests - and the best oils, varnishes and finishes which could be used to ensure their creations could be safely in contact with food and natural waxes.
Since this time their youngest son Agustín, who lived in London for a few years, returned home and in 2021 he joined the cooperative, giving the company a refresh with his tech and English language skills.
Today their pieces shine in the best Spanish restaurants such as StreetXO, Mugaritz, Dani García, Amelia, Culler de Pau and also Mirazur in France, Brace in Copenhagen, Lignum in Ireland, Novators and Da Terra in London, amoung many others.