Design Ideas For Shower Niches – When it comes to bathroom design, there is a subtle detail that is often overlooked, but one that adds a layer of uniqueness, a lot of intentional function + a lot of magic + is the walk-in shower. Niche plays a big role, especially because bathrooms tend to feel cold.
As an interior designer, the goal is to balance the beauty of the materials used in a way that creates warmth + adds a layer of softness to the bathroom as a whole. Honestly, your whole house will feel like this.
Design Ideas For Shower Niches
For example, when you look around your humble abode or when you spend time getting ready, it brings you together, allows you to do the things that matter most to you + evokes emotions that make you feel relaxed throughout the day.
Designing A Shower Niche That’s Functional + Pretty
You should feel as connected to the experience as the soft, warm water falling from an overhead rain shower, or the guilt of having the perfect angle for shaving your legs (yes, gents, angles for legs in the shower are a big deal)* wink*
So let’s talk about the functional requirements that a shower niche has, the benefits of a shower niche + some design secrets that will make this niche attractive!
Psst… keep reading to find out why we love cornices as much as we love bathrooms 🙂
Have you struggled with shower stalls before? If you’ve ever tripped and dropped everything, you know what I’m talking about. But if not… consider yourself lucky!
How To Plan And Design A Shower Niche
From limiting the amount of soap and conditioner you may need to taking up unnecessary space in the bathroom, used shower enclosures can be functionally and visually unappealing.
Good design isn’t as simple as just saying you want a bathroom and then, holy crap, it shows up. There’s actually a lot of work involved + things you need to consider before (or sometimes during) your bathroom remodel so that the shower actually works. For example…
This is a good first question because it really makes you wonder if one shower recess is enough. Will there be enough storage space for bath products? Of course, this all depends on the overall length + height of your niche. But the big question is, are you limited to 16 inches between studs to create a vertical niche, or do you want a long, wide niche that requires custom framing? Talk about…
How many bath products like shampoo, conditioner, soap, oil + razors do you need to keep in the niche?
4 Stylish Shower Niche Tile Ideas For Your Bathroom
The best way to answer this is to stand up and look at the current condition of your bathroom. How many items are there? We often fall in love, snap photos or take IG screenshots of amazing inspiration, but when it comes to recreating that loving space, there’s usually a pretty big gap between what we love and how we actually live in the real world . That’s why when we design a custom shower for you, we want the alcove to not only look beautiful, but also be functional.
Typically, a standard shower enclosure is about 3.5 inches deep. So consider whether the products you are currently using are suitable for this space. If not, can larger products be condensed into smaller dispensers or stored on a shower counter?
Do you want the niche to fall out + blend into the wall, or do you choose a niche that makes a statement? While this may seem like a silly question, it’s important to remember that functionality doesn’t have to be boring.
In fact, when designing the overall look of your bathroom, there are several important decisions to consider besides functionality.
Why A Recessed Shower Niche Is A Must Have When Remodeling A Bathroom — Degnan Design-build-remodel
If the shower is larger, the best option is to use as much wall space as possible with a horizontal shower niche. This not only provides ample storage space, BUT can potentially function as a shower centerpiece.
However, the horizontal niche is also not long and wide. Sometimes a small horizontal recess is the perfect alcove for soap.
Often customers think that vertical niches should be narrow or cramped, but this is only true if there is not enough space on the walls. The vertical shower niche is only slightly higher than it is wide :), so a vertical niche with shelves is the perfect design solution.
Does the shower recess stand out in the bathroom, creating contrast in the size, color, pattern or texture of the tile? Keep in mind that accent tiles can be difficult to pull off simply because depending on the tile chosen for the wall and the contrast of the recess, you can quickly become out of date. That said, not all contrasts are created equal + accent tiles in your alcove can be created in a timeless style.
Don’t Forget The Basics: The Shower Niche
Designer tip to consider… the size of your tiles (wall + niche tiles) really affects the size of your niche. Here it is, whatever the tile choice… You want the wall tiles surrounding the alcove to be full-length so that the alcove feels seamless along the bathroom wall.
Another way a shower alcove stands out is by the size of the alcove itself. Perhaps it is a long linear niche that runs the length of the wall, or a dimensional vertical niche with shelves.
Not only does it catch your eye as the focal point of the bathroom, but as mentioned previously, it can provide highly functional + highly desirable storage space in the bathroom.
In some cases, such as in bathrooms with pony-shaped walls, it is possible to get the best of both worlds, as you can build a shower niche on the inside of the wall (at a suitable height) and also hide it. alcove out of sight (unless you’re showering).
14 Shower Niche Ideas
And there is also the idea of a shower cabin as a replacement for a niche. Pitch is what it sounds like – a long linear note. Without getting too technical, the main difference between a ledge and a niche is that with a niche you build storage into the wall, whereas with a ledge you actually frame the wall so that it projects slightly into the shower so you have a ledge.
One of the advantages of a shower ledge design over a shower alcove is that it is framed away from the wall, in theory your ledge can be any depth you want + it is usually the length of the wall. Now, for obvious design reasons, you don’t want it to be too deep, but you can definitely get a ledge deeper than a typical shower alcove.
And what does all this muttering mean? This means that with a shower ledge, you’ll likely have plenty of room for all your shower accessories (beautiful or not) *wink*.
Again, neither the shower recess nor the sides of the shower should protrude at all. You can keep the same tile you use for the walls inside an alcove or over the shower ledge, which will allow any space to subtly disappear as you draw attention to other features of the shower, such as light fixtures.
How To Install And Design A Shower Niche
It really depends on the size of your shower. If you have the space to sacrifice a little space for a shower ledge, but still want a free shower alcove, the two combine perfectly.
A great bathroom remodel (or new build) takes all of these things into consideration + brings overall elegance to the space. In fact, shower recesses (or ledges) exist purely for functionality, but no one sets out to design an ugly shower + this is all the reason why good design is not only important, but also, my darlings, this is also why it takes time. . So take your time.
Feel free to leave your comments about shower niches or stands below. If you’re overwhelmed by all this (which we completely understand) + need a little help, let’s talk.
And if you really enjoyed this article about walk-in showers, believe me, you will really enjoy this FREE video course: 4 Days to a More Beautiful + Functional Home. You probably knew this post was coming. Of course tile and bathroom renovations are on my mind as we are remodeling the guest bathroom! If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you may have witnessed my little adventure to Lowe’s to look for materials for a shower alcove for the guest bath, because I completely staged this part of the shower and didn’t plan ahead.
25 Shower Niche Ideas For Lathering Up In Style
. I ended up getting a lot of posts and thought they might be useful if you have bathroom renovation plans and are thinking about your niche. Click to view