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Western Red Cedar: An enduring legacy in nature & design

​​​​​Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / abdallah

​​The Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest called Western Red Cedars “trees of life” or “life giver” – a cornerstone to their way of life. Groves were often seen as sacred and used as gathering places for ceremonies and the trees themselves can live for thousands of years. In fact, cedars that have fallen down will take centuries to finally succumb to rot and the elements. 

Many coastal tribes recognized the durability of the wood and used Western Red Cedars to build shelters, dugout canoes, and myriad tools, utensils, and accessories. 

This legacy of providing shelter has endured in how people use Western Red Cedar today. It’s an excellent option for exterior applications like siding, decking, and other outdoor projects due to its natural resistance to rot and insects. Wood is a living material and continues to expand and contract after it has been harvested, and Western Red Cedar does this on a much smaller scale, making this species very stable.

Haywire Building, Plano, TX

The outside facade of the Haywire building in Plano, TX. TerraMai image

A wonderful example of this flexible wood species is TerraMai’s installation at Haywire in Plano, TX, featuring beautiful Western Red Cedar wood paneling. There’s inherent natural beauty to wood known as a “tree of life” gracing the sides of a building dedicated to bringing joy to the lives of others through good food, good drinks, and good times. 

When it comes to legacy, what we can learn from Western Red Cedar is how there is strength in versatility and creating a safe haven for others.  

Get inspired for your next project here and sign up for our blog here. 

Cassie Ruud

Content Marketing Strategist

cassie@terramai.com

Climbing new heights with TerraMai stair treads

Stair treads take us to new levels in architecture and design.

From nosings and treads caps to risers and engineered stair treads, TerraMai’s environmentally friendly wood products will take your next project to new heights. 

Staircases hold a fascinating space in the history of architecture. Whether naturally occurring or crafted from natural materials like wood and stone, they are the great connectors in a building’s composition. 

Early staircases were a result of practicality; they were a way to escape danger or to reach resources. They took a more aesthetic turn in Ancient Egypt and in China, where they were also seen as a way to “ascend” toward sacred places. In medieval times, staircases, particularly spiral staircases, saved space in building design and aided military tactics. Over the years, the form of staircases and stairways became more flexible and nowadays seeks an experiential design that factors in how the structure is used by people.

Social Staircases – an upward design movement

The popularity of social staircases has soared over the past few years. TerraMai image.

One of many ways stairs enhance space and structure is through experiential design. This involves considering how a space will be used by its occupants, leveraging new trends in technology and social interaction to take the user experience to another level. In a commercial context, this means strategically using design elements to evoke an emotional connection and embracing new ways of working, socializing, and recharging. 

In its 2017 Experience Index, the Gensler Research Institute found “the human experience must be the driving force behind every element of a space – from the design of physical space to the qualities of interaction, expectation, and intention.” This takes many different forms, but above all, engagement and emotional connection are the foundation of experiential design. In an office setting, this could include creating spaces that facilitate workflow and optimize emotional and physical employee well-being. This shines through in the creation of the social staircase – a hybrid of a regular, functional staircase and areas for people to sit and chat. 

One of the main ingredients of a staircase, social or otherwise, is the stair step, or stair treads – and how it supports the structure’s function and artistry.    

A step-by-step look at treads

The anatomy of a stair step is made up of risers, nosing, and, of course, treads. 

A riser is the vertical distance from the top of one to the next subsequent tread. Nosing is part of the tread that hangs over the edge of the step. 

And tread is the place where a person’s foot lands when climbing or descending a staircase.   

At TerraMai, we use sustainably harvested wood to bring these elements to natural life by using flooring planks in the tread, nosing, and risers.

Tread nosing options include:

Angled
Angled with traction strips
Square
Square with traction strips
Bullnosing
Bullnosing with traction strips

And our tread profiles cover:

Engineered – finished four-sides
Engineered – finished two-sides
Solid Treads

Climbing new design heights with TerraMai treads

Tread brings a subtle and transformative tone to staircases and is made all the more beautiful when the materials used are wood. 

TerraMai collaborates with designers to create unique and spectacular stair tread installations. We offer the most diverse range of reclaimed and sustainably-harvested woods in the industry.

Our stair treads can be used for both interior and exterior installations and we are excited to help you make your design vision become a reality. 

Incorporating TerraMai’s tread into your next creation honors the legacy of this sophisticated building feature. You can take that first step here. 

Sign up for our blog posts here.

Cassie Ruud

Content Marketing Strategist

cassie@terramai.com

Trim at TerraMai: Framing the art of sustainable wood

Trim comes in a variety of forms, but its subtlety supports the broader design of a space. TerraMai image.

Picture this: You’re in a gallery and surrounded by wall upon wall of priceless, gorgeous paintings, hues and colors swirling and combining into scenes, faces, features, and portraits. But there’s a subtle accent complementing each and every piece of artwork – the frames holding and supporting each creation. 

Frames haven’t typically been considered “high art”, but to experts like Martin Kotler of the Smithsonian their function is an essential extension of design.

“It [is] the mother holding its child,” Kotler told Smithsonian Magazine in an interview. A frame is the small detail that elevates and encapsulates the work. 

At TerraMai, the twin to this perfect celebration of transitional beauty is in the trim and the undeniable character of wood. If a room can be considered the canvas to showcase the allure of materials that make up the walls, ceiling, and floors, then trim is the supportive framework tying everything together. Pairing that with the sustainable, charming character of wood honors those features in a perfect homage to art. 

The history of trim

Trim, occasionally used interchangeably with the term “molding” or “mouldings” dates back to the ancient Greeks who would adorn their buildings and temples with these features to draw attention to carved ceilings and the tops of columns – as shown in structures like the Parthenon. 

“While columns and statuary were the stars of the show, the simple moldings can aptly be called the humble servants,” wrote John Tschirch in an article for Period Homes Digital. “They have the critical task of framing the main features of the building.” 

This practice of creating a decorative framework on the outside of buildings was eventually inherited by the Romans who took a more exaggerated spin on the subject, going further transformation in Medieval times with towering cathedrals, which took things to an extreme – creating imposing “ribs” of trim to draw attention to decorated ceilings and effectively, to “heaven.”

During the Italian Renaissance there was a revival in Greco-Roman styles of trim, with an eye for creating harmonious balance within the framework. Eventually, this extravagant display that had originated on temples was toned down and made subtle with another transformation from the English in the 17th and 18th centuries, taking on a more craftsman-style. As long humanity’s creativity in design persists, so will the importance of trim as a transformative and transitional element within a space. 

Different functions of trim

History aside, trim comes in a plethora of forms and functions within a space, and all of it is used to complement a structure both inside and out. And here are the various styles each kind of trim takes on:

Edge Trim: Frames wall panels and/or paneling with the same wood and finish or complementary colors. Edge trim is necessary for exposed Modular Panel, Acoustic Panel, and Open Panel edges to hide panel backers, acoustic insulation, or the plies of engineered plank paneling.

Corner Trim: A seamless extension of paneling to frame corners and cover adjacent walls.

Baseboard: Complementary trim that runs along where the floor and walls connect and covers the perimeter expansion gap for hardwood flooring. 

Quarter Round: Decoratively covers larger expansion gaps not covered by the baseboard.

Transition Strip: A sophisticated transition from hardwood flooring to thinner floor covering materials.

Door & Window Trim: Beautifully framing entries and windows from the inside out and outside in. 

Whether in the form of stately baseboard, wall molding, or flooring transitions, TerraMai’s trim helps tie all of the key, natural components of working with wood into a perfect display of design intention and authenticity.     

Framing the beautiful art of reclaimed wood

Without a doubt, in all of its forms, trim brings a subtle and transformative tone to the structures it accompanies and nowhere is this more clearly shown than when the materials used are from sustainable wood. 

Trim reconstructs a room with effortless progression Incorporating TerraMai’s trim crafted from sustainably-harvested and reclaimed wood into your next creation honors the storied legacy of this sophisticated building feature. You can start that journey here. 


Sign up for our blog posts here.

Cassie Ruud

Content Marketing Strategist

cassie@terramai.com

Four Reasons to Celebrate Earth Day with TerraMai

TerraMai illustration

It’s Earth Day – and at TerraMai, our focus on eco-friendly practices in sustainably harvested and reclaimed wood is what we’re all about. If you want to celebrate Earth Day everyday, here are four reasons to work with TerraMai to get beautiful, high-quality, sustainable materials for your next project.

1. Wood: A building material to minimize carbon emissions

There are plenty of ways that using wood as a building material helps the environment. This can include reducing deforestation, reusing perfectly good materials destined for a landfill – as well as lowering emissions associated with logging, transport, and processing of traditional wood.
When it comes to carbon in the atmosphere wood is the only building material that draws out and stores more carbon than emitted during production. This makes it an excellent resource given its net positive impact on carbon footprint.

The ways that wood is reclaimed and salvaged goes beyond wood from older structures – it can be sourced from old orchards (preventing common chipping or burning operations at end the of fruit-bearing life), rescued from flooded forests, saved from the forest floor after being abandoned as imperfect or non-targeted species, and restored from off-cuts in the manufacturing process of furniture, flooring, mass timber production, and the like. All of these practices are in use at TerraMai where wood is given new life and purpose; from locations across the globe.

Humanity has had sweeping environmental impacts, not limited to depleting our old growth forests, making it crucial to protect our remaining few. Old growth wood from projects will become available for reclamation and new purposes for generations down the road. This wood continues to be an ideal (and ethical) material given its stability, durability, and character long after it was harvested.

Reclaimed Solid Teak at the High Line, NYC.

Reclaimed Douglas Fir Stair Treads.

2. Reclaimed wood takes less energy to produce

Aside from providing sustainably sourced material, wood from TerraMai neatly ducks many of the environmentally harmful ways that new wood is harvested. Most of the steps needed to prepare the wood are complete, and at TerraMai it’s a high priority to have the wood milled as close to the source as possible both domestically and overseas. TerraMai only works with operations that meet high workplace and technical standards and facilities are visited and inspected regularly.

NYC Fifth Avenue Apartment Lobby with Acacia Metro Paneling.

Teak Engineered Flooring at AT&T’s Flagship Chicago Store.

Reclaimed MC Walnut Paneling at Shore Club.

3. Sustainably-sourced wood means less need for new wood from living forests

A great deal of the wood at TerraMai is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC); which means that it is deemed responsibly sourced. Want to look it up? Our FSC number is located under License Code FSC-C021798.

Wood that hasn’t been certified by the FSC sometimes falls outside of the organization’s jurisdiction, but is considered ethically sourced, like wood harvested through water reclaim and orchard salvage.

Reclaimed Mission Oak Engineered Cowboy Coffee at US AmeriBank in Florida. 

4. A material that builds up the benefits of the built environment

The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program holds national acclaim as one of the top ways to rate a sustainable building. During this rating a building’s use of sustainable materials is factored in. This makes TerraMai a perfect resource for those seeking these certifications. 

Other ranking systems such as the WELL Building Standard and Living Building Standard put their focus on incorporating biophilia as a way to measure elements of an environment that positively impact human health and well-being.

TerraMai strives to meet all three of these standards by using zero and low-VOC finishes and adhesives and the majority of our materials are within compliance of the LEED program’s non-emitting and low-emitting sources requirements. 

Products that are inherently non-emitting sources of VOCs – specifically unfinished/untreated solid wood flooring, stone, ceramics, powder-coated metals, plated metals or anodized metals, glass, concrete, and clay brick– are considered fully compliant without any VOC emissions testing if they do not include integral organic-based surface coatings, binders, or sealants.

To wrap things up

Through high standards, promoting sustainability, and by putting compassion for the environment first across the board, TerraMai aims to treat every day like it’s Earth Day and we’re here to help you do the same. 

Happy Earth Day!
– From TerraMai

Wood Finishes – Science / Art / Alchemy

Like butter on toast or frosting on a cupcake, wood is not deemed fit for use until a special product is applied to the surface. Hence the term “Wood Finish” – a unique turn of phrase that succinctly says it all.

Wood finishes provide a broad array of benefits, enabling wood to be used virtually anywhere to achieve virtually any look. From smooth white-washed wood tones, to rich textured hues, to sophisticated grays and chic blacks – wood finishes provide designers an infinite pallet of color, tone and texture.

Wood finishes also protect and preserve wood, allowing it to be used in almost any environment – flooring, furniture, salad bowls, sailboats – ad infinitum. Simply look around, wherever you may be reading this, chances are wood surrounds you in a vast variety of forms, functions and finishes.

The variety and versatility of wood, when combined with the proper finish, is boundless.

This basic principle is easily understood. Understanding what wood finishes work best for any given specific application, however, can require a depth of knowledge and skill only acquired through years of blood, sweat, tears and toil.

Beyond pure technical knowledge and skill, the true finish master possess a special, almost magical, affinity for both the organic nature of wood and the chemical nature of wood finishes. In this way, wood finishing is both a science and an art.

But that tidy summary fails to capture the alchemy of wood finishing that seems to defy the simple laws of physics and belong more to the realm of sorcery. For these reasons, a true finish master is a rare and special creature (as even a brief conversation with TerraMai’s own finish wizard, Jason Diamond, will attest).

A seasoned wood finisher approaches each project by scrolling through a vast mental rolodex of questions, answers, experiences, triumphs and tragedies. The finish for a fleet of glossy black table tops going into a high-end Manhattan restaurant will be very different from a collection of rustic communal tables for a cozy Aspen lodge or a suite of elegantly durable outdoor tables for a boutique LA eatery.

While the questions and challenges involved in each of these instances may be equally complex and demanding, the finish approach and processes for each will vary dramatically.

While a veteran wood finisher depends on knowledge, skill, artistry, technical acumen and magic tricks earned over years of experience and devotion to craft, there are a few fundamental basics that are helpful for any designer to understand. Below is a simple chart that touches on the two most basic types of wood finishes that apply to most commercial projects – oil and poly.

Note, this chart only “scratches” the surface of wood finish.

FinishBasic ProsBasic Cons
Oil>Natural look & feel
>Seals from moisture
>Simple to apply, repair, refresh
>Versatile – indoor & outdoor
>Color tints available
>Provides low/matte sheen
>Can be easily spot-repaired
>Holds up to most mild cleaners		>Minimal protection from scratches
>Can impart an amber hue to the wood
>Can only tint wood color tones
>Not sheen controlled – matte/low-gloss only
>Does not hold up well to harsher cleaners
Poly>Coats seals and protects
>Available in clear water-based options
>Allows for total clarity of wood tones and grain
>Protects against moisture and stains
>Protects the wood from scratches & abrasions
>Available in all types of sheen – matte to glossy
>Holds up well to most cleaning products 		>Can be technically challenging to apply & repair
>Surface scratches cannot be spot repaired
>Must typically be scuffed/sanded/stripped recoated
>Can look & feel “plasticy”
>Not well suited for exterior applications

For more specific info and questions – the more challenging the better, give us a shout at info@terramai.com / 541.973.2301.

The X-Woods League of Super Woods

There are two requirements of Super Heroes – they must have special powers and they must have a cool back story.

TerraMai’s exterior woods have both, which is why together they form our Exterior Woods League of Super Woods (X-Woods League for short). 

All these woods have been endowed by Mother Nature with the special power to endure the elements and survive in the harshest conditions – wood immortality in other words. Each also possess a colorful origin story that makes them even more exceptional. Let’s meet our team. 

Ipe The Righteous 

The newest and perhaps most special member of our X-Wood team. Special because TerraMai’s Ipe is perhaps the only truly sustainable Ipe available, at least in the U.S.  

This is because TerraMai’s Ipe is reclaimed from harvesting underwater standing trees from reservoirs in the tropics. These reservoirs, like all reservoirs, are created by building dams to store water by flooding formerly open land. The standing trees and forests that are often submerged as part of this process are actually preserved underwater indefinitely from rot and decay by the lack of oxygen. 

Millions of acres of standing forests are preserved underwater throughout the U.S. and elsewhere throughout the world as a result. In tropical regions of the world, these submerged reservoir forests contain millions of exotic tropical hardwood trees preserved intact by the lack of oxygen.

TerraMai has worked with partners in Central America, South America and Africa to sustainably harvest these submerged exotic tropical hardwood trees. It is a complex process that involves both advanced technology and timeless human guile and guts. 

The underwater harvesting process involves identifying select standing underwater trees and then extracting them using divers and special submersible equipment (including underwater chainsaws – pretty rad). Because the bottom parts of the trees and their lifeless root systems are left untouched, the extraction process does not disturb the lakebed or harm the underwater habitats. 

Ipe is coveted for its durability, density and ability to withstand the elements. It is also a handsome, versatile wood that pairs beautifully with other exterior materials like concrete, brick, steel and glass. These characteristics have made Ipe a staple of exterior siding, decking and decor elements throughout the U.S. However, this wide-spread use of Ipe comes at an environmental cost. 

Ipe’s notorious reputation as an illegally-harvested rain forest species is well documented. Even Ipe that comes to market with Forest-Stewardship Certification (FSC) and other certifications is considered dubious, at best, by environmental experts. 

This is why we here at TerraMai are especially excited and gratified to now make truly sustainable Ipe available to architects, designers and builders. 

Teak The Noble 

Teak is renowned as the noble “King of Woods” for its legendary beauty, versatility and ability to withstand the elements. Teak is equally suited to the most sophisticated, meticulously designed and crafted furniture applications as it is to the most demanding outdoor applications, which is why teak has for centuries been the wood of choice for boat builders and nautical applications. 

TerraMai’s Teak is reclaimed from aging structures in Southeast Asia. This beautiful old-growth Teak produces gorgeous siding and decking able to perform in the most punishing exterior environments. Left to the elements, outdoor Teak develops a classic sliver-grey luster. TerraMai can also provide prefinish options designed to help lock-in old-growth Teak’s prized natural color tones. 

Angelique The Pristine 

TerraMai’s Angelique provides an exquisitely clean tropical hardwood that also has the toughness to take on the elements in graceful style. TerraMai’s Angelique is also underwater reclaimed from the same reservoir sources that provide our Ipe. 

The standing submerged exotic hardwood Angelique trees that are extracted to produce TerraMai’s Angelique Siding and Decking yield a lumber that is remarkably free of knots and other visible signs of surface character. As a result, TerraMai’s Angelique Siding and Decking provides an immaculate exterior wood option that is also sustainable.  

Redwood The Legendary

As the world’s tallest organisms, redwood trees hold legendary standing among earth’s living creatures. The majestic redwood forests of the Northern California coast also hold legendary status among America’s treasured natural resources.

Redwood lumber also holds a special place in the history of the American West and most specifically California, where redwood was used to build many of the structures that sprouted like seedlings in the wake of the California Gold Rush that kicked off in 1849.

Redwood was a medium of choice for early-20th architectural masters like Julia Morgan, Bernard Maybeck and Frank Lloyd Wright whose compositions in Redwood still dazzle, now more than ever, in a design world increasingly reliant on the synthetic and mass-produced.  

TerraMai’s reclaimed Lost Coast Redwood Siding is an extraordinarily versatile product that looks great as-is with classic weathered-grey redwood patina. TerraMai’s Lost Coast Redwood Siding also takes finishes beautifully to allow for virtually any color tones imaginable.

Cedar The Trusted

Cedar is a tried-and-true exterior wood of choice throughout North America. It performs beautifully in the elements, looks great, and is the standard reliable choice for exterior applications from high-end commercial buildings to humble residential fencing.

TerraMai’s Cedar is reclaimed from forest-floor salvage in the Pacific Northwest. This forest-floor salvage consists of “slash” or “scraps” that were deemed too inconsequential and left behind when the original virgin old-growth forests were first logged years ago. Some of this left-behind material is now being reassessed with fresh eyes and found to yield old-growth Cedar lumber that produces beautiful, highest-quality Cedar Siding.

Exterior Wood Weathering, Finishing & Maintenance

All of TerraMai’s exterior woods will gently weather to a silver-grey patina if left to weather naturally. However, TerraMai can work with designers to provide prefinish solutions that lock-in desired color tones over time. TerraMai can also work with designers, builders and property owners to provide prefinish solutions and maintenance programs tailored to work best with the specific conditions and priorities of each project.

The X-Wood League of Super Woods

Like any great Super Hero team, TerraMai’s exterior woods offer complimentary powers, along with colorful stories and sustainability, to suit any challenge.

  • Ipe The Righteous for a gold-standard exterior tropical hardwood that is also supremely durable
  • Teak The Noble for the “King of Woods” offering renowned beauty and performance in the harshest elements
  • Angelique The Pristine for an exterior exotic hardwood that offers both refined elegance and outdoor toughness
  • Redwood The Legendary for its legendary place in American history along with its legendary beauty and ability to perform in exterior conditions
  • Cedar The Trusted for a classic, versatile exterior wood perfectly suited for the most grand commercial building, rugged residential retreat, and everything in between  

Whenever an exterior design challenge rears itself, like a super nemesis hatched from an evil laboratory or alien planet, TerraMai’s X-Wood League of Super Woods is there to save the day with beauty, style and sustainability.

You’re welcome Planet Earth.  

Matt Nichols, TerraMai VP of National Accounts – Western U.S

Wood – The Designer’s GOAT

GOATs have suddenly become trendy. Not the hoofed, horned, iron-gutted variety but the Greatest of All Time variety.

This type of GOAT is popping up all over the place, most notably in sports (e.g. Michael Jordan) but also literature (Shakespeare), singers (Aretha Franklin), conquerors (Genghis Khan), ice cream flavors (Vanilla), rappers (Vanilla Ice…..). OK, there can be some questionable choices. But when it comes to design materials, one material reigns supreme, above all others, one true GOAT that bleats alone astride the mountaintop = Wood.

Debatable? Hardly. Wood stands alone in the power and versatility it offers designers compared to other materials like concrete, metal, plastics and textiles. The unique design benefits of wood can be defined across four key categories – Beauty, Versatility, Durability, Sustainability.

Beauty

Ah, where better to start than with beauty? True, timeless, universal beauty is ultimately ephemeral and undefinable, but also undeniable. And in this simple yet profound attribute, wood holds ultimate power for designers.

Humans are innately attracted to wood. It’s in our DNA. Whether you believe we descended from the trees (Darwin fans), got our start at the base of a tree (Adam & Eve fans) or were literally created from trees (Norse mythology fans) wood is fundamental to the human experience – for shelter, food, fuel, tools and uses too numerous and varied to ever hope to list.

Pause to gaze about – most likely there is wood all around you, in many shapes and forms, and most likely these objects and surfaces are all lovely to gaze upon, especially once attentively noticed and appreciated.

Most of us also carry deep emotional associations with wood that add to its power and appeal. This might take the from of a family dinner table, a beloved childhood possession (any Citizen Kane fans out there….?), a cherished heirloom or memento, a wood box holding treasured items, a hand-me-down wood kitchen utensil or tool worn smooth with expert use and long service and so on, different for each of us. These deep emotional associations with wood are part of our innate human attraction to wood’s beauty.

These emotional connections also help explain the magical way wood can instantly add warmth and soul to a space. This unique ability enables designers to make otherwise sterile spaces feel warm and welcoming in a way no other material can accomplish. This is especially important when considering healthcare spaces and learning spaces but also civic spaces, corporate environments and also commercial spaces like restaurants, stores and hotels.

Science shows patients heal more quickly in facilities that feature wood, students learn more effectively in classrooms that feature wood, workers perform better and are more creative in work environments that feature wood and patrons stay longer and spend more money in stores, restaurants and hotels that feature real wood. (See reference notes below.)

At some point, beauty transcends rational understanding. Much of wood’s special allure comes from its unique ability to appeal to all five human senses, an ability no other design material possesses. This means we experience wood not just on a surface, conscious level but also on a cellular, subconscious level through all of our senses.

1. Sight – wood is beautiful to the human eye
2. Sound – wood is naturally sound absorbing and softening
3. Touch – wood is naturally warm to the touch and tactile
4. Taste – wood naturally flavors foods and beverages like wine, spirits, grilled meats and vegetables
5. Smell – wood provides aromatic scents like pine, cedar and sandalwood

No other material offers the range and power to move us in a way we call “beautiful” like wood. Not concrete. Not metal. Certainly not plastic or vinyl. We could rest our case for wood based on beauty alone. But the design benefits of wood go so much further.

Versatility

While wood is unique in its beauty it is also unique in its versatility, in terms of color, texture, pattern, and range of interior and exterior applications.

Color: Wood offers designers a vast array of diverse natural color tones – from rich, dense reds, browns and blacks to naturally weathered patinas, to more subtle and neutral hues. Natural wood tones can also be selected to compliment any color scheme. Add the ability to stain and color wood and the color options become limitless.

Texture: Wood offers a full spectrum of textures, from smooth and supple to weathered, rough-sawn, skip-planed, brushed, sculpted and more. These textures can be used in combination with other materials such as glass, steel, concrete and textiles – either in harmony or juxtaposition – to create infinite interplays of texture in a space. Wood is also naturally warm to touch, as we’ve already noted.

Line & Pattern: The human eye loves pattern and wood provides endless opportunities to introduce line and pattern into a space. Natural wood grains can add either subtle or bold organic lines and pattern to an interior. Wood can also be installed horizontally to make a space feel more grounded and expansive, or vertically to make a space feel more elongated, lofty and even soaring. Wood can also be installed diagonally and in angled patterns to add a sense of energy and movement to a space – either with subtle patterns or more bold, dynamic arrangements such as chevrons, herringbones and other patterns. Whether on the floor, walls or ceiling, wood provides infinite options and opportunities to add line and pattern to a space.

Acoustics: Wood also helps designers control the acoustic characteristics of a space. Wood is naturally sound absorbing, as noted, which helps create spaces that feel good to the ear as well as beautiful to the eye. The role of acoustics in how a space feels and is experienced can often be under-appreciated. Spaces with hard, reflective surfaces that ricochet sound can be jarring to the human ear and nervous system, causing discomfort, unease and the overwhelming urge to escape the space, whether a work place, restaurant, store, school or other environment. While hard, reflective surfaces may help create an “edgy” aesthetic, they also create “edgy” people.

Applications: Wood is suited to virtually any and all interior applications – from floors to walls to ceilings, to cabinets, furnishings and virtually everything in between – as well as exterior applications. Wood can help tie inside and outside spaces together and help create a sense of flow between indoors and the natural world outside. Wood exteriors are also simply beautiful in their own right. All the features and advantages discussed that make wood a beautiful interior material are also true for exterior applications.

Durability

Wood is a material with timeless appeal and endurance. With reasonable care, wood can perform aesthetically and functionally for decades, even centuries. The older the wood in a space, the richer it feels. To stroll through an old library, university or country inn with original wood floors and surfaces, featuring patina acquired over generations of use and care, is invariably a gorgeous experience. While so many other materials are transitory and disposable, wood lives on in a space. Wood endures not only through use and service but also through style trends and fashions. Wood’s timeless appeal and durability also expresses a commitment to quality by those who created and invested in the space. This can be especially impactful in public spaces such as classrooms and civic buildings, where the use of real wood makes a statement about the care and commitment of those who built the space.

Sustainability

Unlike most other design materials, wood is a renewable resource. Wood also requires low energy to produce compared to other materials like metals, vinyl, glass and plastics. Wood is carbon sequestering. Roughly 50% of wood by weight is carbon. This carbon will remain sequestered for the life of the wood product. Wood is also recyclable. Carbon from wood is released only if the material decomposes or is burned. Reclaiming wood ensures the carbon will remain sequestered. It takes only 1/13th the energy to produce wood flooring and cladding from reclaimed wood versus new wood.

The Lone GOAT

For all these reasons, wood bleats alone as the designers lone GOAT. Beauty, versatility, durability and sustainability – wood does it all. No other design material can compare. When it comes to wood as a design material, there is no LeBron to Michael, no Stones to Beatles, no DaVinci to Michelangelo, no chocolate to vanilla, no Notorious B.I.G. to Vanilla Ice…..and here we are, full circle.

For design materials there is one that reigns above all others in its power and versatility, one true and undisputed GOAT = Wood.

Matt Nichols, TerraMai VP of National Accounts – Western U.S.

Wood – Miracle Cure for Healthcare Design

Does it really have to feel this bland? This drab? This dreary? If you’ve ever visited a healthcare facility, chances are you felt these thoughts.

The one type of environment that should feel the most calm and nurturing so often feels the opposite.

Thankfully, a miracle cure exists – Wood.

Wood has the unique ability to transform a space, making an otherwise cold, stark, even unhuman, environment feel warm and welcoming.

Studies show wood possess a near miraculous ability to calm the nervous system and settle the mind. The presence of wood in a space has been shown to help lower blood pressure and heart rates. Studies have also shown people report more positive psychological and emotional feelings of well-being in spaces that feature wood.

Most directly in this case – studies have shown patients recover more quickly in environments that feature wood and natural materials. (See below for citations and further reading.)

These wood benefits also extend to the classroom and the workplace – where students and workers perform better, and report feeling better, in spaces that employ wood.

The psychological and emotional design qualities of wood naturally translate to other sectors, such as retail and hospitality. Shoppers and guests who feel more welcome, at ease and overall better in a retail or hospitality space are shown to stay longer, spend more and leave with more positive brand associations. These positive brand associations then carry over to online shopping and reviews, long after a patron has left a space.

At the heart of all these wood health benefits is one core attribute – one elemental feature that is unquantifiable but also undeniable – wood is simply beautiful to the human eye.

Wood is also naturally noise dampening and warm to the touch, qualities that further appeal to the human senses and offer a welcome relief from the cold, clanging, harsh finishes typical of so many medical spaces.

The healing power of Beauty to the human mind and body is well established, yet somehow often ignored or shamefully disregarded.

While it’s easy to make sport of the sad state of healthcare design (bare vinyl floors, pharmaceutical-beige walls, steel surfaces and a Good Housekeeping magazine circa 1997 anyone?), the ramifications become profoundly serious when one considers the full scope of what transpires and can ultimately be at stake in these environments on a daily, hourly, basis.

This is where wood can make a real difference.

Thankfully, many architects and designers share this realization. TerraMai has had the opportunity to work on a diverse range of smart, thoughtful healthcare projects with firms like Perkins&Will, CollinsWoerman, Abramsom Architects, to highlight just a few.

These designers all took advantage of wood’s unique ability to infuse warmth and beauty into the healthcare environments they designed.

Medical environments can be the setting for some of the most stressful conditions imaginable (even unimaginable). It’s fair to say, people simply deserve to be in a space that feels warm and comforting when facing these life-altering challenges. Not just the patients, but also the patient’s family and loved ones, along with the doctors, nurses and staff who also grapple with extreme stress and traumatic circumstances in these environments.

When considered in this light, the true essence and power of architecture and design flash to the fore. The power of design to affect how we feel in a space is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in a healthcare setting. And wood, perhaps more than any other material, can positively affect how one feels in a space.

In a year that has forced a special spotlight on medical facilities, a new awareness of these environments has emerged. As designers rethink their approach and look to new projects, wood remains perhaps their most useful, effective, versatile – and beautiful – resource.

With all this considered, the unique power of wood as a miracle cure for stark, bleak healthcare environments is a saving remedy.

Matt Nichols, TerraMai VP of National Accounts – Western U.S.


Resources and further reading.

Zelenski, J. M. & Nisbet, E. K. Happiness and Feeling Connected: The Distinct Role of Nature Relatedness. Environment and Behaviour 46, 3–23. (2014).
Zhang, J. W., Howell, R. T. & Iyer, R. Engagement with natural beauty moderates the positive relation between connectedness with nature and psychological well-being. Journal of Environmental Psychology 38, 55–63. (2014).
Munir, M.T., Pailhories, H., Eveillard, M., Aviat, F., Lepelletier, D., Belloncle, C. and Federighi, M. Antimicrobial Characteristics of Untreated Wood: Towards a Hygienic Environment. Health, 11, 152-170. (2019).
Browning, W., Ryan, C. & Clancy, J. Patterns of Biophilic Design: Improving Health & Well‐being in the Built Environment. (2014).
Anme, T. et al. Behaviour Changes in Older Persons Caused by Using Wood Products in Assisted Living. Public Health Research 2, 106–109. (2012).
Wolf, K.L. “Trees in the small city retail business district: comparing resident and visitor perceptions.” Journal of Forestry 103, 390–395. (2005).
Pakarinen, T. “Success factors of wood as a furniture material.” Forest Prod J 49(9):79-85. 1999. As cited in Nyrud, Anders Q. and Bringslimark, Tina. “Is Interior Wood Use Psychologically Beneficial? A Review of Pyschological Responses Toward Wood.” Wood and Fiber Science V.42(2): 211. (2010).
Fell, D. R. “Wood in the Human Environment: Restorative Properties of Wood in the Built Indoor Environment.” University of British Columbia, Vancouver. (2010).
Health and Well-being: Building Green with Wood Module 6. 1–4 (reThink Wood, 2015).
Ohta, H. et al. Effects of redecoration of a hospital isolation room with natural materials on stress levels of denizens in cold season. Int J Biometeorol 52, 331–340. (2008).
Welker, C., Faiola, N., Davis, S., Maffatore, I. and Batt, C.A. Bacterial Retention and Cleanability of Plastic and Wood Cutting Boards with Commercial Food Service Maintenance Practices. Journal of Food Protection, 60, 407-413. (1997).
Wahlgren, K. A Look at Sustainable Harvesting in a Hardwood Forest. Wood Floor Business. (2005).
National Report on Sustainable Forests. United States Department of Agriculture | Utilization of Harvested Wood by the North American Forest Products Industry, Dovetail Partners, Inc. (2010).
Oswalt, S. & Smith, B. U.S. Forest Resource Facts and Historical Trends. United States Department of Agriculture. (2014).
Bringslimark, Tina. “Is Interior Wood Use Psychologically Beneficial? A Review of Pyschological Responses Toward Wood.” Wood and Fiber Science V.42(2): 211. (2010).
Tsunetsugu, Y., Miyazaki, Y. & Sato, H. Physiological effects in humans induced by the visual stimulation of room interiors with different wood quantities. Journal of Wood Science 53, 11–16. (2007).
Dementia and memory loss statistics. Available at: https://fightdementia.org.au/about-dementia-and-memory-loss/statistics. (2014).
Kelz C., Grote V., Moser M. “Interior wood use in classrooms reduces pupils’ stress levels.” Retrieved from http://proceedings.envpsych2011.eu/files/doc/342.pdf
Bergman, R., Gu, H., & Falk, R. “Using Reclaimed Lumber and Wood Flooring in Construction.” (2010).
Human Spaces. “The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace.” (2015).
Browning, B., Garvin, C., Fox, B., & Cook, R. “The Economics of Biophilia.” Terrapin Bright Green. (2012).
Toochi EC. Carbon sequestration: how much can forestry sequester CO2?. Forest Res Eng Int J. 2(3):148‒150. (2018).
Ulrich RS. “Aesthetic and affective response to natural environments.” Pages 85-126 in I Altman and JF Wohlwill, eds. Behavior and the natural environment. (1983).



Wood Warms-Up Healthcare Design
Wood Adds Warmth to Healthcare Design

The Earthly Miracle of Wood

On this Earth Day, we at TerraMai are reminded that wood lies at the heart of the human experience. From the very origins of our species (whether we came down from the tree tops or took the Adam, Eve & Tree route) to the boundless wood objects, artifacts, structures and materials that adorn our lives, wood provides humankind with a unique and limitless source of beauty and utility.

Wood has played a central role in the great innovations and events of human history, including shelter, fire, the wheel, the plow, bridges, boats, windmills, the first airplanes, musical instruments and virtually infinite other examples.

Not to mention the immeasurable presence of wood in everyday life, the wood handle of a trusted tool worn smooth from years of faithful service, wood floors underfoot, cherished wood blocks and toys rubbed to a gentle shine from children’s hands, sturdy kitchen tables, beloved musical instruments, old wood structures both humble and grand and on and on. Wood is perhaps the most fundamental, versatile and all-around practical material in human existence.

Simply look around, wherever you may be, chances are wood surrounds you in a startling variety of ways. Most them likely beautiful to gaze upon while also serving useful purpose.

To enumerate wood’s many aesthetic and practical qualities is to compile an astounding list of attributes.

Wood is the only building material that appeals to all five senses (lovely to the eye, warm to the touch, soft to the ear, fragrant to the nose and flavorful to the tongue with smoked foods, wine and fermented drinks).

Wood is unique in its ability to make a space feel warm and welcoming – whether a home, workplace, store, restaurant or hotel. Science shows wood helps people feel calm and at ease in a space, boosting test scores in classrooms and recovery rates in hospital facilities that deploy wood finishes and furnishings.

Wood is the only renewable construction material. Wood products require much less embodied energy to produce than other materials, such as plastic, vinyl and metal products.

Wood is naturally carbon sequestering, with 50% of wood’s total weight coming from carbon. This carbon also remains sequestered for as long as the wood material remains in service and only releases into the atmosphere once the wood is discarded or burned, which highlights the additional benefits of recycled/reclaimed wood.

Reclaimed wood comes with unique history and character that adds instant soul and story to a space. Reclaimed wood also provides an infinite variety of unique looks, from classic weathered barn wood to beautifully clear all-heart, old-growth redwood with deep burgundy tones imbued by decades as wine tanks in Northern California.

The use of reclaimed wood also helps preserve standing trees and reduce manufacturing energy. It takes 1/13th the energy to produce wood cladding and flooring from reclaimed wood than new wood.

TerraMai continues to innovate and lead the industry in new ways to reclaim wood and manufacture it into beautiful products for architects and designers on projects of all types. TerraMai is unique in the variety of ways we reclaim wood, including “post-consumer” reclaimed wood salvaged from old structures, “pre-consumer” reclaimed wood rescued from manufacturing waste, “orchard-salvage” reclaimed wood from culled orchard trees, and “underwater” reclaimed hardwoods from reservoirs in the tropics.

But on this day, we are reminded it all points back to Mother Earth, the provider of life and all we behold before us. Long may she live in peace and good health. Knock on wood.

Matt Nichols, TerraMai VP of National Accounts – Western U.S.

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Speed

Speed kills.

In the construction industry, it kills anyone who lacks it. In an ever changing world, where multi-tasking and constant deadlines are the reality, it is our job to make sure we are never the bottleneck. Reclaimed and sustainably sourced wood is what we do.

Our mission is to travel around the country and globe, seeking out the best sources of forgotten wood, of ‘waste’ that can be utilized with a little bit of imagination, of small operations with sustainability and biodynamic practices at their core. However, none of that matters if we can’t deliver to our customers when they need us the most. That is why everyone at TerraMai – besides being awesome – first and foremost makes sure to approach everything with Speed.

Have a client meeting tomorrow and need some last minute samples? We will stop what we’re doing to get them out the door. Have a question on a tricky stair tread detail? We will have an answer for you (or at least go about getting one) that day. Another company dropped the ball or has a 16-week lead time? We have dozens of pre-finished products on the shelf ready to ship. Is there an problem on an install (as there sometimes is)? We will have your back and make sure any issues are resolved ASAP.

Backed by a team of experts with collective decades of wood and industry knowledge, we are ready and able to get your project moving fast, with confidence that you will end up with a successful one (as Gandhi said, “speed is irrelevant if you are going in the wrong direction”).

We’re incredibly busy these days. However, we know we only have to manage one (or maybe a few) products on a project. An interior designer might have dozens of finishes to work with. A contractor might be dealing with a handful of unresponsive reps when they’re looking for pricing. We know how stressful a project can be, and that is why we try to remove at least one pain point by being responsive, reliable, and easy to work with. If we’re slacking, let us know!

We are grateful to be considered for a project, and we will not let you down. We built from the ground up and will continue to build and improve upon the things that have made us successful. It may be a marathon, but the fastest runner always wins.