Onyx, with its striking translucence and captivating patterns, isn’t just a stone; it’s a coveted material in high-end construction and interior design. Selecting the ideal onyx slab for your project requires understanding its unique characteristics and assessing its aesthetic and quality using important criteria. To choose an onyx that satisfies your design vision and structural requirements, it’s crucial to consider factors like colour, clarity, banding patterns, and slab size.
Onyx’s appeal in construction is largely influenced by the depth and consistency of its colour, particularly the contrast in its unique banding. Understanding these features will help you make an informed choice. By being aware of these aspects, you can confidently select the ideal onyx for your architectural project, appreciating its classic elegance and enduring value.
In this guide, we’ll go over the key considerations and suggestions for choosing the finest onyx, the exotic stone that elevates any space.
The Buyer’s Guide:
Beyond just aesthetics, choosing the ideal onyx slab for construction is a very personal choice that aligns with your project’s overall design language and functional requirements. Because of its rich history and wide range of colours and patterns, onyx can speak to designers and clients in different ways, depending on their tastes and the intended atmosphere of the space. This guide aims to offer advice on how to select an onyx that complements your design style and the functional needs of your building.
Key Considerations
- Lighting Integration: Onyx is famous for its translucence. Are you planning to backlight the onyx? This significantly impacts how the stone looks and should be a primary consideration during selection.
- Durability & Traffic: While beautiful, onyx is softer than granite and marble. For high-traffic areas or surfaces prone to heavy use (like kitchen countertops), consider proper sealing and maintenance, or opt for a material with similar aesthetics but greater durability.
- Budget: Onyx is a premium material. Establish your budget early to narrow down your options.
Onyx and Colour Psychology
Onyx’s relationship with colour psychology offers intriguing insights into how people perceive this stone and the feelings it can evoke within a built environment. Mostly recognised for its rich black colour, onyx can be found in a variety of other hues. It carries a number of psychological and symbolic implications that can affect a space’s mood, aesthetic, and even cultural importance. Gaining insight into the colour psychology of onyx can enhance its application in slabs, tiles, and bespoke design elements.
Colours of Onyx:
- Black Onyx: It is frequently connected to strength, grace, and mystery. It’s a common option for formal and luxurious spaces
- Red Onyx: With red being a colour associated with vigour and passion, red onyx can evoke sentiments of courage and power. It’s frequently linked to self-assurance and dynamic energy, making it suitable for accent walls or statement pieces in vibrant spaces.
- Green Onyx: Traditionally, green has been associated with balance, growth, and rejuvenation. Thus, green onyx can be associated with healing, serenity, and a feeling of balance with the natural world, ideal for spas, tranquil living areas, or nature-inspired designs.
- Blue Onyx: Often associated with truth and communication, blue onyx has a calming, tranquil energy due to the colour blue, which represents clarity and tranquility. It’s perfect for creating serene environments, accent walls, or areas meant for contemplation.
- Banded or Multicoloured/rainbow Onyx: Onyx that has banding or numerous colours can represent balance and harmony by combining the various qualities of the included colours. These dynamic patterns are excellent for feature walls, bar tops, or artistic installations where the movement of the stone is a key design element.
Onyx for Various applications
Onyx, in addition to being versatile in terms of design, is a stone with a rich and seductive appeal that’s also appropriate for a variety of architectural settings. From dramatic feature walls to subtle decorative accents, onyx offers a range of sophisticated and vividly coloured variants. Knowing how to choose and apply onyx for various architectural elements can increase its allure and ensure it blends seamlessly with the atmosphere and tone of the space.
1. Feature Walls and Backlit Installations
- For maximum impact, especially in luxury residential or commercial spaces, backlit onyx feature walls are unparalleled. The translucence of the stone allows light to pass through, illuminating its intricate patterns and creating a warm, ethereal glow.
- Selection: Look for slabs with consistent translucence and captivating, well-defined banding patterns that will shine when illuminated.
- Installation: Requires careful planning for the lighting system and robust framing to support the slabs.
2. Countertops and Bar Tops
- Onyx brings an immediate sense of luxury to kitchen islands, bathroom vanities, and bar tops. Its unique patterns make each surface a work of art.
- Considerations: Due to its softer nature, onyx countertops require regular sealing and protection from acidic substances and abrasive cleaners to prevent etching and staining.
- Colour Choice: Black onyx offers a sleek, modern look, while lighter or more vibrant colours can create a dramatic focal point.
3. Flooring and Wall Cladding
- While less common for high-traffic flooring due to its softness, onyx can be used in low-traffic areas or as stunning wall cladding in bathrooms, reception areas, or accent panels.
- Durability: For flooring, ensure it’s in a low-traffic zone and use appropriate sealing. For wall cladding, its beauty can be enjoyed without concerns about wear.
- Pattern Matching: For larger areas, consider bookmatching slabs to create a continuous, mirror-image pattern that maximises visual impact.
4. Custom Architectural Elements
- Onyx is also ideal for bespoke elements like reception desks, fireplace surrounds, shower walls, decorative columns, or unique furniture pieces.
- Versatility: Its ability to be carved and polished allows for intricate designs and seamless integration into custom installations.
Where to Buy Onyx
It is always important to make sure that the source of any stone, including onyx, is reliable when buying it. For construction projects, it’s even more critical to ensure quality, consistency, and ethical sourcing. Before making a purchase, it is important to consider the supplier’s reputation, their range of available slabs, user reviews, and after-sales support, including handling and delivery.
Conclusion:
A fascinating and adaptable stone, onyx has been used for ages in a wide range of civilizations and traditions, not just for adornment but for architectural grandeur. It belongs to the chalcedony family and is also a microcrystalline quartz. The remarkable aspect that sets onyx apart is its parallel bands of different colours and its exceptional translucence. Onyx’s appeal is increased by its distinctive banding pattern, which makes it a popular material for slabs, wall cladding, countertops, art installations, and bespoke interior design elements.
At SDP Stones, our goal is to meet consumer needs and trends while maintaining our business via innovation, technology, and customer support. We provide a wide variety of finishes and guarantee the prompt delivery of faultless products from our state-of-the-art facility. Look for suppliers who can provide detailed product specifications, samples, and expert advice for your specific project needs.
