Designing A Shower Niche That’s Functional + Pretty

Shower Niche Design Choices

Do you want the niche to fall off + blend in with the walls or are you going for a statement-making niche? While this might seem like a silly question, it’s important to remember that functionality doesn’t have to be boring. 

In fact, when it comes to designing the overall look of your shower there are a handful of basic decisions that should be considered beyond functionality. 

Horizontal Niches

When there’s a larger shower, utilizing as much wall space as possible with a horizontal shower niche is one excellent choice. Not only does it provide ample storage BUT it can potentially function as a focal point of the shower.

But, horizontal niches aren’t all long and expansive either. Sometimes, a small horizontal niche is the perfect niche for a bar of soap.

Vertical Niches

Often times, clients think that a vertical niche has to be narrow or skinny but that’s only true when wall space is at a premium. A vertical shower niche is simply a little taller than it is wide 🙂 so a vertical niche with shelves is a perfect design solution.

To introduce contrast or not?

Does the shower niche make a statement for the bathroom by creating contrast in tile size, color, pattern or texture? Keep in mind, that an accent tile can be difficult to execute simply because depending on the tile chosen for the walls + the niche contrast can feel outdated quickly. That being said, not all contrast is created equally + an accent tile in your niche can absolutely be done with timeless style. 

A designer tip to be considered… the size of your tile (wall + niche tile) absolutely plays a role in the size of your niche. Here us out, regardless of what you land on for tile… you want the wall tile surrounding the niche to be the full tile size so that the niche feels seamless along the shower wall.

Should you supersize your shower niche?

Another way for the shower niche to make a statement is in the size of the niche itself. Perhaps it’s a long linear niche that expands the length of a wall or it’s an oversized vertical niche with shelves. 

Not only does this draw your attention as a focal point of the shower but as previously mentioned, it can provide some extremely functional + highly coveted storage in the shower. 

Can you hide the shower niche from being seen?

In some instances, like a shower with a pony wall — the best of both worlds is possible as you can both incorporate a shower niche on the inside of the pony wall (at a comfortable height) while also hide the niche from being seen (unless you’re in the shower).