Many people’s morning routine involves navigating around shampoo bottles perched precariously on the tub ledge, body wash and conditioner piled in a corner, or the rusted caddy hanging from the shower head. This lack of functionality can get annoying, and it’s unsightly too.
When meeting with a client during pre-construction, we always suggest incorporating a shower niche into their shower walls or tub walls. These babies can really be lifesavers, both for functionality and cleanliness. But what are shower niches and what do they do?
A niche is a common term for a storage space that is built into the wall. In the shower, it’s used for storing soap, shampoo bottles, and other essentials. However, niches can be built in other areas of the bathroom or even the kitchen too.
Types of Niches:
There are two commonly used niches – custom and pre-fabricated.
A custom niche is built from scratch by constructing a framed box within the wall and then typically tiling it out. A pre-fabricated niche is pre-made and does not require any of the construction materials for building a custom niche.
Niches also offer aesthetic advantages to your design as well. For example, you can use decorative tiles inside the niche and match them to other accent details in the bathroom. Many of our projects have included color combinations and even mix-and-match finishes and textures in all sorts of eye-catching ways. It’s also a good opportunity to add a hard surface or countertop feature.
