Nifty Ways With Bathroom Niches
Storage and style come easy with a wall niche designed to suit your bathroom
Whether your bathroom is on the small side or fills a space the size of a large bedroom, a niche or two can add function and flair in spades. Before your next bathroom renovation, get yourself a stud finder (an inexpensive purchase from your local hardware store) and map out where the wall cavities are in between your walls’ studs. Unless they’re providing a home for plumbing, wiring or ducting, the gaps between studs are usually just wasted space, and prime real estate for bathrooms needing a style or storage boost – or both. These smart ideas will get you started down the niche design road – or at the very least give you some inspiration to share with your bathroom designer.
Wall niches do more than just provide a spot in which to put things, of course. They can enhance a stately bathroom’s elegance, particularly with the addition of in-niche downlights and a luxurious pendant or chandelier.
Turn it into a feature
Yes, you can have a shower niche blend in, but why stick with the same tiles when you can make it stand out as a stylish feature? Paired with black grout and a similarly-toned window frame, a black niche is a perfect match.
See more of this imaginative home
Yes, you can have a shower niche blend in, but why stick with the same tiles when you can make it stand out as a stylish feature? Paired with black grout and a similarly-toned window frame, a black niche is a perfect match.
See more of this imaginative home
Opting to line the niche with timber is a simple way to inject a little warmth into an otherwise sterile-looking space, and timber is definitely where it’s at right now in terms of what’s in fashion. If the timber matches wood used elsewhere in the house – whether cabinetry, cladding or furniture – the home will also feel more harmonious.
In small bathrooms, every bit of space counts. The niche in the shower/bath achieves two goals – ample storage with easy access and a dash of style. A plain white niche would accomplish only one of these.
Browse more compact bathroom ideas
Browse more compact bathroom ideas
Add height
There’s no reason a bathroom niche has to be teeny. Make use of vertical space and install some shelving – for decoration, storage or both. Baskets are an easy way to group products together (by type or household member), and keep the space looking neat.
There’s no reason a bathroom niche has to be teeny. Make use of vertical space and install some shelving – for decoration, storage or both. Baskets are an easy way to group products together (by type or household member), and keep the space looking neat.
Glass shelves are often the best choice for a tall niche – the light flows through them (no dark cubby holes gathering dust), and they won’t be damaged by steamy conditions.
Make it fit
A niche has been created in this bathroom not by stealing space from the wall cavity but by building out from the wall. Doing so allows the toilet cistern to be hidden away and provides a neat home for basin and shower plumbing.
A bank of mirrored cabinets ups the storage considerably, and a bulkhead from the top of the cabinets to the ceiling makes for a streamlined finish. Building out from the wall has also made space for a niche in the shower big enough to cope with shampoos and other shower essentials.
A niche has been created in this bathroom not by stealing space from the wall cavity but by building out from the wall. Doing so allows the toilet cistern to be hidden away and provides a neat home for basin and shower plumbing.
A bank of mirrored cabinets ups the storage considerably, and a bulkhead from the top of the cabinets to the ceiling makes for a streamlined finish. Building out from the wall has also made space for a niche in the shower big enough to cope with shampoos and other shower essentials.
A niche deep enough to comfortably hold folded or rolled-up towels will be all the more versatile.
Bonus bits of bathroom storage
Bonus bits of bathroom storage
Add a splash of colour, and plan a practical size
This bathroom belongs to one lucky teenager; it replaced a cramped staircase in the home. If you’re wondering how large your niche should be, plan it around the wall tiles for a polished finish.
The niches in this bathroom are 300 millimetres high to match the tile height, while the niche in the shower is 750 millimetres long. Yellow was chosen for the over-basin niche to tie in with the existing Victorian window.
This bathroom belongs to one lucky teenager; it replaced a cramped staircase in the home. If you’re wondering how large your niche should be, plan it around the wall tiles for a polished finish.
The niches in this bathroom are 300 millimetres high to match the tile height, while the niche in the shower is 750 millimetres long. Yellow was chosen for the over-basin niche to tie in with the existing Victorian window.
This one – three subway tiles high and three long – made it easy for the tiler to do the job well. Lining the niche with smaller tiles such as mosaics in a contrasting colour not only helps the niche stand out, but it’s also easier to tile.
You can paint the rear wall of a niche any colour you like; just lay glass over the top and make sure it’s sealed properly against moisture. Running the niche the length of the wall – through the wet area and into the toilet/vanity area, in this case – provides plenty of shelf space, hides the plumbing, and adds a colour-rich feature. Now that’s what I call getting more bang for your buck.
Add more than one
If you love the idea of a shower niche for your next reno, why stop at one? In this Parisian apartment, there’s spot for everything, and the niches turn the bathroom into something out of the ordinary.
YOUR SAY
Share your experiences with bathroom niches in the Comments below, and feel free to upload an image or two.
MORE
Browse more bathroom ideas
If you love the idea of a shower niche for your next reno, why stop at one? In this Parisian apartment, there’s spot for everything, and the niches turn the bathroom into something out of the ordinary.
YOUR SAY
Share your experiences with bathroom niches in the Comments below, and feel free to upload an image or two.
MORE
Browse more bathroom ideas
Niches are nice, but they’re even nicer if you light them up. And if there are young ones at your house, leaving the niche light on will ward off any fears of the dark (or guests stumbling around looking for the light switch).