beneath the surface blog

  1. Backlit-Onyx-Wall-Ceiling-Mansions-Acqualina

    365 Days of Surfaces + Light

    In 365 days, our team has accomplished many things both personally and professionally. A growing office family and increasingly challenging projects kept us on our toes, which is just how we like it. Looking back, here are the major project highlights from this year that really stood out for us: 1. One Lake’s Edge Three […]

    Read more
  2. White-Onyx-Stone-Block

    Working with Backlit Onyx Panels: From Opaque to Translucent

    The process of creating a piece of backlit onyx is one of transformation. From raw material extracted from the earth, onyx material undergoes a series of changes in making it to a final installation, illuminated in its glory. The characteristics of the stone shift at every step in the production process, making the upfront selection […]

    Read more
  3. Backlit-Food-Meal

    Throwback Thanksgiving: Possibilities on Your Plate

    This Thanksgiving, we’re throwing it back to an original blost post we wrote for the 2011 holiday. As time passes the team here tends to do stranger and stranger lighting experiments with our foods (backlit PB&J, anyone?), but our fascination with lighting and texture certainly hasn’t changed. Original post: With Turkey Day just hours away, […]

    Read more
  4. Select Your Scribble

    The world of design is brimming with new developments in up-and-coming technology, product launches, and the next big ideas. Take the Scribble pen, for example. Any Photoshop devotee would be thrilled that the “eyedropper” tool has come to life, meaning that you can use the pen to grab a color from any real-life object and […]

    Read more
  5. From the Field: Backlit Onyx Feature Wall Installation in Ottawa

    Last winter, the GPI Design team was commissioned to engineer one very unique feature wall in the lobby of 150 Elgin Street in Ottawa, Ontario. Within the main lobby of this 21-story office complex, the designers at NEUF Architect(e)s and ownership at Morguard Investments imagined a glowing onyx wall to dazzle visitors and tenants. Intended […]

    Read more
  6. Pareidolia

    We like to consider our projects works of art, especially when it comes to selecting and perfecting the surface (or face) of the backlit project. There are truly endless arrays of translucent surfaces that we can implement into our backlit systems, and each will “speak” differently to every client. No one has the same interpretation. […]

    Read more
  7. Crain’s Cleveland Magazine Features GPI: Local Firm with Global Reach

    “Look cool? It’s by design” GPI Design was honored with a front cover spotlight in this week’s issue of Crain’s Cleveland Magazine. The Crain’s reporters spent time speaking with our founder and director, Thomas Lawrence, about the roots of our company and where we are headed. Read the full story here >

    Read more
  8. For a Peek at Our Process, Join GPI on Instagram

    We just started experimenting with our new Instagram account! Our design team is sharing images of our process that provide a peek into our day-to-day life here at GPI.   If you are on Instagram you can catch those glimpses by following @gpidesign. So far we are enjoying this app for its ability to collapse […]

    Read more
  9. On Our Desk: Subbing Out Stone Supply

    We have a confession to make… in the process of creating backlit features, not everyone likes our stone sourcing process. As beautiful as our backlit onyx features turn out in the end, there are pain points along the way and selecting an onyx variety is sometimes one of them. While we’re scouring the world for […]

    Read more
  10. Backlit Wood Walls Nominated for Lighten Up! Award

    We are proud to announce that the backlit wood walls at the National Cancer Institute have been nominated for a lighting design award. The Lighten Up! LED Lighting Design competition is sponsored by Inhabitat, a popular design blog with a focus on sustainability. Our illuminated wood walls have been selected as a finalist and it […]

    Read more
  11. From the Field: Illuminating a Glass Portal in NYC

    GPI Design collaborated on a mock-up and then installation of a backlit recycled glass entry portal for a commercial office building in New York City. We are backlighting a dense recycled glass with significant natural variance and texture, which means that our backlighting solutions have to be responsive and flexible. The light blending strategies constantly […]

    Read more
  12. From the Field: Custom Backlit Onyx Furniture

    What a great experience working with the design team at Hickok Cole to develop these custom backlit onyx ottoman tops! Designed specifically for a lobby space in downtown Washington, D.C., these movable ottoman sets were envisioned to have a glowing white onyx finish against a cubic wooden base. Creating custom furniture pieces is always refreshing […]

    Read more
  13. From the Field: Building Backlit Onyx Elevator Cabs

    The GPI Design team flew out to San Francisco to build and then present a mock-up prototype for backlit onyx elevator cabs that we have been developing for quite some time now. Built and reviewed in under 72 hours, the trip was a whirlwind but it was so rewarding to see our renderings jump off […]

    Read more