Backlit Granite: Transform Bar and Restaurant Spaces from Day to Night
Backlit granite bars with the correct lighting controls allow designers to explore the furthest ranges of materiality. Granite is often associated with traditional countertops, but with advanced technology and the correct backlighting system, the flip of a switch can dramatically transform from day to night.
For this backlit granite bartop application in Dubai, GPI developed DURA-Lite™ panels that consist of an ultrathin layer of granite laminated to glass backing. The glass backing provides reinforcement to keep the granite stable during production, shipping, installation, and everyday use.
For this particular application, the design team chose the RGB LED backlighting system for its flexibility. The lighting system is kept off during the morning hours, with the white backlighting illuminating the granite bartops in the evening hours. On more celebratory occasions, the restaurant owners can change the backlighting to a colored arrangement.
These photographs explore the range of aesthetics that thin granite panels with colored backlighting can provide. With adjustments to the illumination, the granite material is rendered in different moods, attracting different groups of people and completely altering the programmatic use of the space.
Thin granite veneer panel (without backlighting)
Granite panel illuminated with flat LED backlighting (cool white light)
Granite panel illuminated with flat LED panel (on red setting)
Granite panel illuminated with flat LED panel (on blue setting)
Granite panel illuminated with flat LED panel (on green setting)
The bottom line? Designing color variation into your lighting schemes can completely redefine space and provide an important selling point to the property owner. Controls for RGB backlighting systems might add a bit of cost, but the flexibility is priceless.