Invisible at a glance, artists have long hidden fore-edge artwork in plain sight, resulting in works that are sometimes first spotted decades or even centuries after their creation. What looks like a plain gold-gilt surface on the shelf can unfold to reveal a rich and colorful surprise.

The four examples directly below come from Colleen Theisen and the Special Collections & University Archives at the University of Iowa, each reflecting a season.

They are from a series of four books titled after times of year (Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer shown sequentially above) published in the 1800s by Robert Mudie.

The art of disappearing fore-edge painting dates back hundreds of years, but (visible) edge painting on closed books goes back over a thousand years.

Sometimes the scenes are made to match content, contexts and characters from within the book. In other cases, they are more broadly relevant, meant to set the stage or tone for the reader.

The fore-edge (found on the opposite side of a book’s spine) can be painted directly on the closed book to create a drawing that is immediately visible. Alternatively, the pages can be splayed out and painted on the front or back  of the edge.

In some cases, both sides are painted to create a double fore-edge works that are entirely different depending on which way you splay the sheets. Triple fore-edge variants are also possible, with two patterns or scenes that disappear and a third that is visible when the book is closed.

Most home furnishings are made for flat surfaces, not for those uncomfortable edge conditions we call either ‘inside’ or ‘outside’ corners. The following designs do more than just address such conditions, they thrive on these traditionally-problematic challenges.

Kitchens are somewhat notorious when it comes to corners – cupboards bumping into another is one thing, but you also often lose the extra space contained in the corner itself. Not so with these crafty corner drawers that slide out at a 45-degree angle – designs by Blum and Heritage.

Floor lamps are another classic challenge- they are often rounded, and occupy more space in the corner than they could possible need. One solution is the Pop-Up corner light from WellWell, packed flat in an envelope with a cord, and folded out by the recipient to form a triangular, rectangular or round shape suited to 90-degree or even slightly-more-unusual angles.

For storage considerations, pipe shelves like the ones shown above have been popping up for sale on Etsy for a while now – these are generally oriented toward inside corners, but could just as easily wrap out and around as well. And, of course, you can buy something already-made or go the do-it-yourself route instead.

But inside corners are only half of the equation – what about outside corners, where two walls meet as they push out into the room? This corner shelf by Martina Carpelan fills both functions with elegant simplicity – it can be flipped to wrap around an outside corner, or to tuck into an inside one.

Next Page - Click Below to Read More:
Edge Cases 8 Space Saving Design Ideas For Inside Corners