“Reveal,” “Shadow Line,” “Floating Wall” in Contemporary Construction

I’m not sure exactly what this effect is called, but I see it now and then in modern styled homes. It’s a 3/8″ or so gap between the baseboard and the drywall up above. The idea is to make the wall look like it’s floating.

When I hung wallpaper in this bathroom, instead of trimming the excess at the bottom against the baseboard, I wielded a single-edge razor blade (near the bottom left in the photo) and trimmed it at the bottom of the “floating” drywall, leaving a tiny gap, which creates a sort of shadow line when viewed from above.

Tags: baseboard, construction, contemporary, drywall, floating wall, gap, homes, modern, razor blade, reveal, shadow line, wallpaper