What is an ogee?
When customers are looking for a more ornate finish to their kitchen design, we often use decorative ogee profiling.
But what exactly does that mean? And what on earth is an ogee?!
Ogee profiles, trims or mouldings
An ogee profile is a decorative moulding which is ogee-shaped. In homes they are often used for skirting, architraves, worktop edges, plinths, coving and cabinet cornices. It’s also called a cyma.
Why is it called ogee?
While the origins of the word ogee are uncertain, it was first used in the whisky distilling industry. It refers to a bulbous chamber which makes up part of a traditional pot still.
The ogee sits on top of the distilling pot and, as the liquid heats up, it creates a larger surface area for the vapours to land on. This causes more of the vapours to condense and fall back down into the pot, which results in a cleaner end product.
Other ogee examples
Ogees aren’t just found in home interiors (and distilleries!). They’re a common characteristic of architecture, including the ogee arch, which is made from two ogees which meet at the top.
These have been a feature of architecture for many hundreds of years and are often associated with Gothic designs.
