Backlighting an Interior Space Using Translucent Natural Stone

Light plays a vital role in creating an ideal space. Ask any architect or designer, and they'll tell you about how light can transform a space and set the ambience for an entire home. Thus, it's no surprise that many consumers and design experts are now choosing to highlight the natural beauty of real stone by playing with the use of light. LED technology and MACA's ultra-thin natural stone products have created new possibilities in the use of backlighting, which is an effective way to emphasize the stone's intricate design and add an object of beauty to your home.

Translucent stone is particularly prized for its ability to allow light to pass through, bringing a naturally warm glow to any space. Backlit translucent stone slabs create stunning surfaces that are sure to draw the attention of everyone in a room, whether backlit with LEDs or natural light. Even when unlit, translucent stone is stunning in its natural state, and a certain way to make your design stand out as truly unique.

But first, it is important to understand that not all natural stones can be backlit, only the ones considered translucent. Certain products in MACA's slate collection are ideal for backlighting, because they have quartz crystals in their organic composition that allows light to filter through in a dramatic way.

MACA offers eight different products in our translucent collection that can be utilized for backlighting, each which plays with light in a differing way. Tathastu is an intriguing and unusual slate that allows backlighting due to its semi-opaque nature. Some of its parts are translucent while others are not, so the stone is perfect for developing large projects where intricate stone and the play of light are essential.

Another backlit slate is Surya, which presents crystalline swirls that alternate pale shades with sultry, darker ones. The stone's veins are nonlinear, expressive and varied in color. Occasionally, fine pumpkin-colored streaks appear. Mantra, another product in MACA's translucent collection, has a polar white and translucent background with linear crystalline streaks and dark brown veins.

The obvious benefits of translucent stone are that it brings warmth, color, and a vibrant natural aesthetic into your home or business. Backlit stone creates an effect similar to stained glass; unlike glass, however, translucent stone warms a room with earthy, natural colors bathed in breathtakingly unique streaks and swirls. Stone is also much more durable than glass or other surfaces, making it a safer, stronger alternative for brightening your space -- one that will last for many years to come.

For more information on MACA and translucent stone, visit our website or contactone of our design consultants.