Like a master of ceremonies, the LZF Kogoi presides over diners enjoying the freshly prepared fare at Madrid’s new Cardumen fish restaurant. With dramatic poise, the Kogoi is suspended above an impressive natural wood table that was carved from a single piece of timber—according to the owners, the table has become one of the restaurant’s most in demand settings. And in every part of Cardumen, Kogoi is turning heads.

The LZF Kogoi presides over mealtimes at Madrid’s new Cardumen restaurant.

Kogoi is the smaller relation of LZF’s life-size Koi. Designed by Inocuo The Sign & LZF Lab, it is built with a traditional craft technique used by fallas artisans, called vareta. Described as woodcarving, vareta is a time-honoured technique utilised to reproduce a volume in wood. The result is a work of art, and in the case of the LZF Kogoi, a work of art that literally lights up a room.

A glimpse of the LZF Kogoi through the restaurant’s glass wall.

Fresh fishy fare at Cardumen.

At Cardumen, the focus is very much on ‘slow food’. Fresh and raw ingredients are meticulously sourced and prepared, and dishes are designed to awaken the senses. As a venue, Cardumen does not shy away from light and colour. Designed by the Madrid-based Triscaideca studio, the space has a vibrant and energetic industrial-like interior, one created to welcome patrons with open arms. By playing with shapes, materials, volumes, and textures, Triscaideca expresses its way of understanding a space and the sensations it should produce. The studio prides itself in having an eye for detail, in collaborating with artists and visual designers, and in working to recover artisanal crafts. In choosing the LZF Kogoi for Cardumen, Triscaideca selected an object built using long-established Spanish craft and design techniques. Wonderfully imagined, Kogoi is the perfect companion for this lively space.

The restaurant’s industrial-like interior and impressive top table.

Photos © Van-Eyck Fotógrafos.