Beneath the Surface Blog

The July-August issue of Illuminate magazine opens with a pointed statement in the editor’s letter:

“there’s a chasm between those making LEDs and those attempting to employ them in the built environment”.

Ummm, Mr. Crockett, did you read our minds and/or uncover the fundamental reason GPI exists? There is a huge gap between what Jim Crocker of Illuminate refers to as “chipheads” and the architects/lighting designers that use the products to create emotional and aesthetic impacts on space.  And when we say "huge gap", we mean the a divide the size of the Grand Canyon.  This LED fixture has great performance and controllability, but how do I ensure that it is implemented to achieve the great aesthetic impact as promised in all of the promotional literature?

Designers need guidance, or rather suppliers need to guide designers, on how to integrate fixtures into the custom millwork, detail the attachment systems to hold the LED fixture, and situate the LED fixtures in a manner that allows electricians to easily run low voltage wiring.  When these important steps are ignored, designers just don't achieve the aesthetic they intended.

Manufacturers and designers can speak different languages. The good news is, our staff here at GPI is “multi-lingual” so to speak.  We speak supplier, owner, architect, lighting designer, electrical engineer, and even stone subcontractor. How’s that for bridging the chasm?

Photo Credit: UW Digital Collections via Flickr Creative Commons

Back in architecture school at the University of Cincinnati, my all time favorite project was what the DAAP architecture and interior design students lovingly refer to as “The Box Project”. The task was to design and build a nine foot cubic space in reaction to a piece of music- an intense violin concerto.  What did I love about this studio project so much?

1. Challenged us to translate an intangible abstract concept into built form.

2. We truly worked as a team- from project managers, shipping coordinators, detailers, 3D model builders, and physical model builders- 20 overworked design students attacked this thing in 4 weeks.

3. Being involved from concept through installation was incredibly rewarding.

4. Managing the project to stay on schedule and within budget (a huge learning curve for ambitiously creative freshman with little concept of real-world feasibility).

5. Working with the concepts of layers, tension, light, and transparency.

The most intense moment during the four week design-build duration was when the custom colored acrylic on order from Florida became lost in transport, and we had to make an exasperated last-minute trip to Pat Catans to buy stained glass paint and create the colored panels ourselves!

Looking back on my design career, I can see why my student experienced foreshadowed my exciting experience at GPI- collaborative teamwork, addressing a project from a multiple of angles, and exploring the manipulation of surfaces with reflected and colored light.  The similarities are eerily striking!

What educational experiences provided insight into your ideal career path?

By Caitlin Walsh, Design Director at GPI

A sampling of the backlit onyx slabs we displayed at Neocon in Chicago this past June- if only we had a dime for every time we heard "is that real stone?". 100% natural!

We've enjoyed sharing our image library with you. Here is a recap of the main color ranges we explored:

1. Green onyx panels

2. Red onyx panels

3. Honey onyx panels

4. White onyx panels

For everything in between, there's always alternative stone types (such as blue marble), color filters, and man-made agglomerates to achieve the exact hue you're searching for!

So Cool: White Onyx

Admittedly, sometimes when clients request white onyx slabs that have little to no color or texture, we wonder "why don't you just paint the wall white or use an acrylic surface?". But there's something to be said for a sleek white slab that has cloudy layers that drift beneath the surface or distinctive sharp veins that form artistic compositions when bookmatched.

Backlit white onyx is a popular interior material, particularly in projects that are located in warm climate zones. (Think the Middle East, American South and American Southwest). The sleek nature of the stone surface visually represents coolness, and because our flat LED panels generate virtually no heat, the stone panels stay cool to the touch!

How do climate and context affect your color and material choices?

Honey onyx is easily the most popular stone for interior backlit features. And when most designers use the term “honey onyx”, they are referring to a very typical stone as shown below:

Did you know that yellow and gold onyx is available in many variations? From cloudlike formations to strong linear veining, honey onyx stone panels are particularly inviting when backlit with our warm white LED panels. Here are just a few types of onyx available in honey and gold shades:

The warm glow of backlit honey onyx is quite complementary to dark wood surfaces, making it an ideal stone for use in rich commercial lobby spaces and cozy residential environments.

As we continue to spark your imaginations with stone slab images from our photo library, today we explore backlit red onyx.

From pale pinks interlaced with ivory to blood red interspersed with clear crystal, red onyx is the most ephemeral stone.

On the softer side, pink and peach toned clouds float among ivory, giving the stone a dreamy air. With the appropriate backlighting strategy, these stone panels take on a soft glow that brings out the detail in the lighter portions of the slab.

When sharper, deeper reds are used with clearly defined crystals, the stone erupts into an explosion of color and beauty.  When deep red onyx is backlit, the individual crystals are further emphasized and the color contrast intensifies.

Which color palettes do you most often use in commercial design? Continue to stay tuned for more inspiration!