Amanda Ryan -
A pretty typical situation occurred here at GPI this week. A lighting design firm had specified our Infuse™ flat LED panels for a large commercial project, and the contractor ended up making a substitution in order to try to save some money. As it turns out, the substituted LED panel product looks absolutely terrible and […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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!
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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For many, the word “onyx” evokes images of shiny black beads embedded in jewelry. Yet as interesting as light-up gemstone necklaces sound, GPI Design creates features with a different sort of onyx, a sort of “jewelry for your walls”. The world of onyx natural stone is a large one, filled with many colors, banding, and […]
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One of the most popular acronyms in the lighting design world and around the GPI Design office is “LED”. So what does it stand for, and how do LEDs work? While not an exhaustive investigation, this blog post will give you a primer on LED lighting technology and how LEDs work. An LED, or Light […]
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The last post on “Beneath the Surface” discussed some of the challenges that flat LED panels pose when used for backlighting applications. This post addresses each point in the other post with a design-driven solution. Anything we’re missing? Leave a comment and we will address it with another blog post! 1. Hot spots Answer: Depending […]
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Flat LED panels are new technology, and if you’re a designer or architect you are probably aware of a handful of manufacturers that produce these products. And while many of the physical characteristics of LED panels are the same across the board, the majority of manufacturers lack the expertise to implement the panels with actual […]
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As an integrated engineering, design, and supply firm, we frequently work with suppliers, engineers, designers, and architects to provide our unique backlit onyx features. One topic that seems to be shrouded in mystery is the topic of fire safety and fire requirements. Terms are frequently confused or misused, and data is often difficult to find […]
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