Are you looking to make your home more exquisite and luxurious with natural stone? There are many to choose from, including onyx.
Often referred to as the new marble, onyx is the ultimate material to choose to give your space a more luxurious appeal.
Often used in carvings, jewellery, monuments and architecture, onyx is becoming popular in interior design applications owing to its unique translucent appearance and distinctive patterns. It comes in various shades of white, yellow, red, black, green, and more.
Its uniqueness comes from its rich layers and veining patterns which form naturally due to the growth and deposit over millennia of silica materials such as moganite and quartz.
Here are some ways to use onyx in your home to achieve a high-end look and feel.
Accentuate Your Home’s Beauty by Incorporating Luxurious Onyx
Onyx has numerous applications as an accent feature. Here are the various ways in which it can be integrated into your home.
1. Bar Countertop
While known to be a delicate natural stone, onyx is a popular material in bar countertops for its translucency. This property allows homeowners to play with light and create an elegant and relaxing atmosphere while lending a sense of luxury to the space.
However, it’s important to be careful in how you use the lighting as the stone can be damaged by heat. To prevent this, simply use an LED light strip as these do not generate heat. With the right combination of lighting, your onyx bar countertop can create a mesmerizing space with modern appeal.
2. Kitchen Countertop
Is your home decor considered contemporary? Onyx kitchen countertops are a great idea as they add a dramatic accent to the space’s simple design or monochromatic colour scheme.
Since they are a naturally occurring material, each slab is unique and will give your home a distinctive feel.
Like most natural stones, onyx is incredibly long-lasting. However, bear in mind that it is softer than other countertop materials, like quartz or granite.
When using an onyx kitchen countertop, homeowners need to invest time in maintenance to ensure it looks good through the years. As with marble countertops, you have to clean up spills as soon as they happen to avoid staining. Also, make sure to clean the surface regularly with a non-abrasive cleaner that won’t damage its sealant. With the right care, your onyx kitchen countertops can last many years while looking good as new.
Here are some tips to effectively clean onyx countertops.
3. Accent Wall
People’s style changes over time. This is reflected in how they design and decorate their interior space.
If you have an eclectic sense of style, an onyx accent wall is a great way to express it. You can use the material as a focal point in areas such as your living room or entrance lobby. The stone can be elegantly combined with other materials such as glass, steel, and dark wood. It can also be used to make your space livelier and more elegant. And, since it’s a natural material, each slab is different and lends a unique character to the space.
Onyx pairs well with combined designs too. Homeowners can use their skills to mix and match and use contrasting materials like glass and wood together to achieve the best outcome.
You can also successfully accentuate its deep-veined features with backlighting. Light transmitting through the stone and radiating a soft glow can enhance the overall look of your space.
4. Fireplace Surround
One of the applications where onyx truly shines while displaying its beauty is as a fireplace surround. While a soft stone, its downsides are eliminated when it is placed vertically. Depending on how big your fireplace surround is, you can choose to bookmatch onyx slabs for an extra dramatic effect. (To ‘bookmatch’ is to choose a single slab of onyx stone and cut it on two different sides to produce slabs that mirror each other.) When placed together, the patterns and veins will connect and flow seamlessly across the slabs to create a striking element in your living space.
5. Bathroom Vanity
High-quality onyx stone can enhance the beauty of your space while making it more functional. Onyx vanity tops have a seamless design which looks great and makes cleaning a breeze. All you need to do is wipe the stone down with a gentle cleaner. You won’t need to worry about scrubbing the cracks as there won’t be any.
Since the material won’t see heavy use and will generally be free of acidic substances and other liquids, you don’t have to worry about anything permanently damaging the surface. That said, it’s best to err on the side of caution and be mindful about cleaning up spills as soon as they occur.
From kitchen countertops to bathroom vanities, onyx is a versatile stone that can be used in many applications. While it may not be perfect for every project, it can breathe new life into your space, especially if you are searching for something unique. Just remember to be gentle with the material and to be on top of cleaning the countertop to ensure it will provide you with years of enjoyment.