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.