What is better than a shower niche? After all, nobody wants to deal with a bunch of shampoo bottles hanging around! Having a shower niche gets those pesky bottles out of your way and, in some cases, fully out of sight.
Before you go ahead with adding a shower niche to your space, there are a few things we would recommend you consider. Here are our top 5 things you should know about shower niches!
1. Shower Niche Height
As a rule of thumb, we recommend the bottom of your shower niche be at 48″. However, this can be personalized for your specific needs! For example, if you are tall, you might want the niche higher on the wall. Or if you are a wheelchair user, you want it lower, between 36″-38″. We’ve also seen some fun specialty niches, like a small niche located lower to the floor that is used to prop a foot on while shaving. When deciding on your niche height, consider what the niche is being used for and what feels comfortable for you!
2. An Opportunity for Style
Use the shower niche as an extra opportunity for some extra style by adding an accent tile on the back wall of the niche! Use a tile that is a different color, shape, or scale from your shower wall tile. An easy way to pick this tile is by using the same tile you are using as your vanity backsplash tile! If that isn’t your style, consider making the tile design in the niche seamless with the surrounding shower wall tile (see an example image in tip 3).
3. Consider Materials
You’ll notice in the image below that we used a solid surface material, like quartz, for the sides and bottom of the niche. This is a nice option if you want an easy-to-clean material where your soap will be sitting. No grout, no fuss! This is off topic, but we often also use it on the top of shower benches for the same reason.
4. Make It Accessible
Considering the height of the niche is only one aspect of the accessibility of the niche. You also want to make sure the niche is in a space easily reachable from under the shower water. That way, you don’t get cold by stepping out of the water stream to get your shampoo! It’s also smart to have the niche accessible from the shower bench so someone showering on the bench can easily access the bottles.
5. Multiple Niches
Consider having two separate niches! You could have his-and-hers style niches, one for each person, so separate showering items are easily accessible for both people. Or there could be a smaller niche for bar soaps and a larger one for bottles! Having multiple niches adds interest to your shower design, so feel free to get creative.
We hope this is helpful as you explore all the options when it comes to shower niches. Don’t hesitate to get creative – just because the humble shower niche has a boring job doesn’t mean it has to be boring!
If you’re hoping to embark on a bathroom remodel and want our input on the design, please feel free to book a free discovery call. You can do it on our website, here!
XOXO,
