Creating and designing a niche in the wall: tips and instructions. Useful tips for decorating a niche in the wall Making a niche in the wall with your own hands

A niche in the wall is an elegant and functional design element of the room. They have always been valued and used for a variety of purposes. Currently, niches have also not lost popularity. With the help of a niche, it is possible to create an original architectural composition that will become the “highlight” of any interior.

Niche as a design tool

The concept of a modern interior implies the transformation of space and its adaptation to the functional needs of residents. To do this, there are various design techniques, one of which is the creation of a niche in the wall.

In modern interior design, special niches in the wall are increasingly used, which give the room a special appeal and individuality.

At its core, a niche is an opening or recess in a wall. Niches can be large or small, deep or narrow, open or closed, functional or decorative. They can serve as a rack or cabinet, hide layout errors, hide technical communications, and even serve as a fireplace. Niche design styles can also be varied - Asian style (niches are arched or lancet), baroque and empire (with stucco and patterns), as well as minimalist. There are a lot of options for use and decoration.

Using a niche in the apartment

There are quite a few options for using a niche. The main ones are:

1. Shelving for books. This is a widely used niche use case. It is better to plan it before the start of the repair. This design is easily equipped on its own and perfectly replaces the cabinet. You only need shelves made of any material and fasteners for them. It is better to think about lighting before and wire before start of work.
   The shape of the racks depends only on your creativity and courage - you need to give free rein to your imagination
2. Buffet for dishes. Such a niche is most often made in the kitchen or dining room, but it may not be as deep as a niche for books, and shelves can be made of glass.
   A niche in the kitchen is an opportunity not only to use the available space to the maximum, but also to bring diversity and creativity to the design of the kitchen.
3. Decorative niche for accessories and all sorts of little things. Such niches are usually designed in a special way - they are painted in a color that differs from the main design of the walls, they are finished with mosaics or mirror glass. The backlight will add elegance to the decorative niche.
   A niche in the wall can be decorated in any style, the main thing is that this design matches the style of the room in which it is located.
4. Niche at the head of the bed. In the bedroom, both narrow niches on the sides of the bed, and one wide niche, into which the head of the bed is recessed, are appropriate. Both of them are decorated with spotlights - they will allow you to read in bed or highlight the decor. If a large bedside niche is wider than the bed, then plasterboard shelves can be placed in it, replacing bedside tables. The wall of the bedside niche can be contrasting or wallpapered with a pattern. Decoration can be one large picture or several reproductions.
   A niche in the bedroom will perfectly complement the interior and make the room more functional.
5. Niches in the bathroom. Openings often remain between wired communications, which are used to store detergents, towels or decor. Such openings are decorated with contrasting tiles, decorative mosaics or stone.
   In the bathroom, any compartment can be used as additional shelves for storing toiletries or as a decorative element of the interior, where scented candles, plants and other accessories are placed.
6. Niches for decorative lighting and increasing space. In these niches it is convenient to hang TVs, pictures or equip false fireplaces. Illuminated niches are used as a source of subdued lighting.
   To make the firebox of a conditional false fireplace seem larger, the walls of the niche can be decorated with mirror tiles
7. Niches as a shoe rack in the hallway.
   Arranging a niche in the hallway is a great alternative to huge cabinets

The number of recesses in the wall should be not only logical, but also moderate, so as not to turn the room into a continuous rack with dusty shelves.
The arrangement of niches can be asymmetrical or symmetrical. Asymmetrically, niches are placed on free walls or on one of the sections of the wall. Identical niches are placed symmetrically, for example, on the sides of a door or bed. A single niche is called stationary, and those located one after the other are called rhythmic.
For very small rooms, false niches are used, made using moldings. There are also overhead niches made of polyurethane.

Photo gallery: beautiful niches in the interior of the rooms

In the bathroom, niches are used for decoration and storage of towels A wall decorated with niches looks laconic and stylish The design of niches should echo the interior Niche - the original decoration of any interior Niches in the kitchen can serve as bottle stands A room with high ceilings is perfect for creating decorative niches Niches can serve as a platform for decoration An interesting design solution - small square niches A niche can serve as a shelving unit and replace furniture Niches located next to each other are best designed in the same style Interesting effects in niches can be created by painting and highlighting various colors Narrow and bright niches will complicate and decorate walls in the bathroom A niche decorated in a different color will serve as a bright, eye-catching accent In the Provence style, niches of different sizes are often used, combined into a single composition Several niches of the same size with different decor serve as an excellent interior decoration A niche can accommodate not only books and a comfortable sofa for reading them. Niches can be of any size and shape. Organizing an aquarium in a niche is a rather complicated and costly task.

Creating a niche in the wall with your own hands

Most often, niches are created at the design stage, but if there is a desire to decorate the room with a niche, then anyone can build it. The main thing is to make sure that the thickness of the wall and the size of the room allow this to be done.

Niche in a brick or concrete wall

Chasing a wall is possible only if it is deep enough and not load-bearing. The weakening of the load-bearing wall can be the impetus for the destruction of the entire building. In a brick wall, you can make a niche to a depth of 0.5 bricks or 1-2 bricks with a sufficient wall thickness.

The best tool for knocking out a niche is a perforator

Tools you will need to create a niche in a brick or concrete wall:

• chisel or perforator with a drill;
• grinder with diamond discs;
• hammer.

Stages of designing a niche in a concrete or brick wall:

1. Marking the structure, determining the shape of the future niche. We add another 5% of the space for finishing to the calculations.
2. Shtroblenie. It is better to dismantle in small areas. First, perforation or drilling of holes is performed along the contour of the future niche. Then, the holes are combined with a grinder. Further, with the help of a chisel, separate pieces of the wall are knocked out.
3. Niche reinforcement. A large niche needs to be reinforced. After that, finishing work is carried out.

Diamond blades are used to cut granite, concrete, brick, tile or marble

It is difficult to cut a niche in a load-bearing wall, as well as to hollow it out in a brick partition. In such cases, drywall is used. This is the most popular material for arranging false structures, because with the help of drywall you can create both straight and curved samples. In addition to experience with drywall, you will need a detailed plan, building materials and tools.

Drywall - the best material for creating niches

Required materials and tools:

• drywall;
• aluminum profile - guide and rack;
• self-tapping screws for metal and plasterboard 3.9x9.5;
• level;
• perforated corners;
• metal scissors or cutter;
• putty;
• spatula, pencil, tape measure;
• reinforcing and polyurethane tape;
• drill and screwdriver;
• thicknesser cutter;
• dowel.

Step by step guide to creating a drywall niche:

1. We determine the place for the niche, draw it with the help of a level and an angular ruler. If there is a drawing, then we transfer it to the wall in compliance with the dimensions, taking into account the thickness of the drywall and profiles. If the niche is intended for a TV or other equipment, then we leave free space for air circulation.
   The markup is done using the level
2. We calculate the amount of materials (with a margin) and purchase everything necessary for work.
3. We mark on the wall the place where the frame will be attached. To do this, use the level and tape measure. Determine where the wires will go. Markup should be as detailed as possible.
4. Assembling the frame. First of all, we attach the main guides to the dowels. We cut the profile to size with scissors or a grinder and form a frame. If the wall is uneven, glue polyurethane tape under the guides.
   
   The frame is attached with dowels
5. We sheathe the frame with drywall. To do this, we cut the sheets according to measurements and fasten them with self-tapping screws. First we fix the verticals, then the horizontals. We attach the GKL sheet to the front side last. The caps of the self-tapping screws are sunk no deeper than 2 mm.
6. The final stage is finishing. First of all, apply a primer in two layers. Each layer should dry well. Then we put putty on the joints and corners, on which we glue the reinforcing tape and put the punched corners. Then we apply the finishing layer of putty and rub it to perfect condition.
   Seams are sealed with putty using reinforcing tape
7. We paint or trim the niche with finishing materials.
   The niche is painted in the desired color
8. We install LED strip or spotlights.

Video: creating a backlit drywall niche

niche finishing

The most popular finishing option is painting the niche to match the rest of the surfaces. A more complex finish is decorating with decorative plaster. It will require special skills, since the plaster is applied in several layers. A budget option is to design a niche with a self-adhesive film or photo wallpaper. Paintable wallpapers, bamboo and fabric coverings, 3D panels or wallpapers are also used.

Wall murals can help visually expand any room or, conversely, reduce its volume - it all depends on the choice of pattern for printing.

With the help of 3D wallpaper, you can even simulate an aquarium. The decoration of the niche with mirrors looks beautiful. Designers do not recommend painting the inner surface of the niche in dark colors, as it will resemble a black hole. But the use of glass shelves visually facilitate the interior.

By highlighting the 3D fish wallpaper, you can create the complete impression that you are looking at the seabed or aquarium

You should not make a contrasting niche if the rest of the finish is soft and calm, as it will attract attention and shift the center of the interior. If there are contrasting accents in the decor of the room, then the niche can be bright.

Juicy colors in the design of niches will please the eye and cheer up

niche lighting

The main niche lighting options are spotlights and LED strip. Wiring for spotlights is costly and complex technical manipulations, it is better to do it at the initial stage of repair. An easier solution would be to use an LED strip. It is mounted when the niche is already completely ready. It's simple enough. Typically, the LED strip is mounted on the inner wall of the niche, but if you want the light to be directed inward, then a special ledge is needed. It is made from a profile and a strip of drywall. Outside, the side is finished with the same materials as the rest of the niche. A piece of the required size is carefully cut off from the bay of the LED strip, so as not to damage the contacts. Then the tape is connected to the power supply and glued to the right place.

The best and easiest lighting option - LED strips

How to hide an unnecessary niche

Not every open niche fits into the interior, so sometimes it becomes necessary to hide it with a partition or door. Most often they close niches in the bathroom, especially if there are communications there. For this, sanitary roller shutters, roller shutters or plastic doors are used.
If the niche is large, it can be hidden in various ways.

1. Sliding doors, like a closet. Such doors require free space on the sides of the niche.
2. Ordinary swing doors. You can use wooden shutters. If the niche is small, then it can be closed with a furniture facade in size.
3. Roller blinds (fabric, bamboo, plastic). Choose what will match the style of the room.
4. Thick curtains.
5. A small niche can be masked with a picture.
6. Alteration of a niche into a rack with doors. Such a niche can replace a wardrobe.

You can radically get rid of an unnecessary niche by patching it up. The easiest way is to close the niche with a sheet of drywall. To do this, metal guides are attached to the wall, floor and ceiling, stiffening ribs are placed between them, on which drywall is attached. If the niche is shallow, then it can be covered with cement mortar. A very deep opening is sealed with bricks or tongue-and-groove slabs.

Niches allow you to make the space of the apartment interesting and complex. But it is important to show a sense of proportion - too many niches break up the interior and make it fragmented.

The possibilities of designing modern design compositions are almost limitless today. One of today's most popular techniques to decorate and diversify the design of living spaces is to create a niche in the wall.

In modern new buildings, niches are already found in the standard layout, that is, they are developed at the design stage of the house. If there are no such structures in the apartment, then it is possible to create niches in the interior on your own.

These designs not only decorate the house and make it individual and unique, but also increase the functionality of the space.

A drywall decor wall with shelves will perfectly fit into any stylistic concept, besides, it is convenient to hide any flaws on wall paintings with its help.

The design of the recesses can be both horizontally and vertically located, depending on the layout.

Wall paintings that are short in length are best decorated with horizontal niches that will visually stretch the walls. Such recesses are used as a niche for a TV.

But on long walls it is recommended to place vertical structures that will increase the height of the ceilings. Recesses can look like an arch; such niches give the room a personality and are most often used for decorative purposes.

Many standard kitchens find a niche during renovation, for example, in the wall under the window or near the sink, which becomes an obstacle to convenient placement of furniture. To fix it yourself, it is necessary to assess the feasibility of this type of reconstruction and outline an algorithm for its implementation.

At the sink

If it becomes necessary to close up a niche that has become uncomfortable, located in the wall where the drain for washing is located, you need to prepare a sheet of chipboard, drywall, thick plywood or fiberboard. The sequence of actions is not complicated, therefore it is available to the home master.

1. Measure each side of the niche opening.
2. Draw an outline on drywall and carefully cut out.
3. Measure the metal profiles along the outer perimeter and cut them off.
4. Drill holes on the horizontal sections of the profiles. Attach them to the opening, mark the locations of the holes on the wall and drill them with a drill.
5. Drive plastic dowels into the prepared holes.
6. Fasten the horizontal posts by screwing the screws into the dowels.
7. Install the vertical guides in the same way.
8. Using self-tapping screws, fix the prepared piece of drywall on the resulting frame and seal the joints and recesses in the places where the self-tapping screws were screwed in with construction putty.

Finishing usually involves the use of the same materials as on the entire wall. This technique allows you to completely hide the location of the former niche.

It should be remembered that any reconstruction work related to changing the configuration and dimensions of the premises must be approved by the relevant authorities.

Under the window

Many apartments are surprised by the presence in the kitchen of a niche in the wall under the window, which, in its functional role, is an additional place to store all kinds of items, and in winter it becomes a refrigerator. To fulfill the second purpose, the builders left a small thickness of the rear outer wall with an air vent. This circumstance, in conditions of rather severe winters, caused the freezing of the wall surface, which led to the constant presence of condensate, and then the colonization of almost the entire plane of the outer wall with a fungus.

Many owners quickly come to the conclusion that such a niche needs to be repaired or at least insulated in order to achieve comfortable conditions. Solving the second problem will allow you to save useful space inside the built-in wardrobe, provided that the heat is preserved and there are no wet spots on the wall. If the area near the outer wall is supposed to be included in the overall layout in order to put a sink, stove, wardrobe or equip the window sill as a bar counter, expanding it, then you will need to completely close up the existing niche. In some cases, a small recess remains, where the radiator, transferred from the side wall, fits comfortably.

The main task, while maintaining the niche function of the refrigerator, is to replace the old door with a metal-plastic product. The presence of a wide profile allows you to make only one sash with simple fittings. The door is fastened using anchors, the seams are sealed with foam. It is enough to cover the internal surfaces with plastic or moisture-resistant drywall, first putting a heat insulator - porilex. Between the insulating layer and drywall, it is necessary to provide a gap of 1 cm. You can plaster the internal planes with the addition of an anti-fungal agent. The ventilation hole is covered with mineral wool, but it does not need to be hermetically sealed.

If it seems convenient to give a niche in the wall under the window the functionality of a storage place, then the wall is insulated with expanded polystyrene or mineral wool plates, a vapor barrier and sheets of moisture-resistant drywall or plastic are attached on top. The vent in this situation is no longer relevant, so it is sealed with mounting foam hermetically.

Having decided to completely close up the niche that has become unnecessary, it is necessary to dismantle the doors, remove the shelves and the existing trim inside. The hole is foamed, a vapor barrier is attached and a brick is laid out throughout the volume. The facade surface must be sewn flush with the wall with drywall, the joints must be puttied. After that, the entire surface is finished in accordance with the project of the upcoming repair. Now you can put a wardrobe or a dining group here, creating a practical and comfortable interior.

Alternative Uses for a Niche

With a competent approach to the layout of the kitchen, you can not completely remove the niche, but try to organically include it in the overall image of the room. A lot of options are offered from installing a cabinet or refrigerator in it to arranging a hidden home safe. If such a hiding place is necessary, then the facade is finished with ceramic tiles. One of them is made removable, serving as a door, and a hook with a suction cup is adapted to open.

If a decision is made to install a cabinet in a niche, then it will have to be made to order, since the width of the countertop will exceed the standard dimensions. This use of space adds to the usable working area, allowing you to conveniently place household appliances, such as a microwave oven.

The original design of a niche in the wall is one of the most favorite design techniques. Recently, there has been a tendency to abandon bulky cabinet furniture, but no one has yet canceled functional shelves. A recess in the wall is an additional horizontal plane that acts as a shelf. You can put and put anything in a niche - from the most necessary things to interior decor. About how to aesthetically and practically design a niche space, experts will share their secrets.

The secret of beautiful design lies in the unusual and elegant design of the niche, which you immediately pay attention to.

Niches were not invented by our contemporaries, they are found by architects during excavations of ancient artifacts of lost civilizations of different times. Before thinking about the design of a niche in the wall, it is better to first understand its purpose.

A niche may well be the centerpiece of a design composition.

The main classification of recesses in the wall:

1. Decorative.
2. Functional.
3. Architectural.
4. Technical niches.

A convenient place to store firewood if the house has a fireplace or stove

A fashionable and rational solution for modern spaces - a folding bed that hides in a niche and looks like a closet

Some openings in the wall are obtained as a result of an architectural design - otherwise it will not work. Further, the design depends on the functionality of the room in which there is a finished recess. Often it looks like a box near the ventilation shaft, in which you can place shelves for dishes, household appliances, and other useful items.

Recesses in the wall are a great way to hide a secret door, a safe, and everything that should not be in front of strangers. But they do not need decoration, rather they require careful disguise.

It is important that the design of the niche matches the style of the room in which it is located.

In decorative niches, decorated with mirrors, glass and lighting, you can sit with cosmetics. Women have a need for good lighting in the morning when they clean up, but there is not always a suitable place. But this design of a niche in the wall is also suitable for other purposes, if used for illuminated shelves.

A false niche is a purely decorative technique when they want to complement the interior with a believably painted door or window.

The basic rule is that a niche should fit into the interior of the room, and not overload it.

Tip: Before you decorate a niche in a room, decide on its functionality - what will be in it permanently and temporarily. Souvenirs and handmade, antiques and books, art and modern photos - they all require a different approach to design.

The shape and size of niches depend on your courage and creativity.

When a living room is combined with a kitchen, a bar counter is often placed on the border of two squares. It is appropriate to arrange a niche formed nearby as a bar for strong collectible drinks. This in itself looks like a worthy decor for a modern living room.

It has already become clear that any recess in the wall should have not only a decorative, but also a practical function. The design of the niche and the method of its construction depend on this. Multi-level shelves on the accent wall can also be designed as niches, sheathed with sheets of drywall. The structure itself needs reliable supports so that the shelves do not collapse with all the contents that have a decent weight. Especially when there is expensive equipment or fragile glassware.

A narrow niche along the entire wall of the bathroom serves as a decorative element and is very convenient for placing everything you need.

Niche space types

All niches are divided depending on their purpose into the following types:

1.	Niche library	Enough depth for the format of books, several shelves, can be closed with glass doors.
2.	Shelf in the deepening of the wall, pier	Small dimensions, dimensions depend on the size of the items exhibited in it.
3.	Small cabinet in an architectural niche	A great way to accommodate seasonal clothes, dresses, suits (shoulder width).
4.	Niche exposition	It is issued for exhibition copies, the number of shelves - as needed.
5.	Isolated place for appliances with a socket	A great way to hide wires, protect from running children and animals playing with them.
6.	Niche hiding place	Deepening of the hidden type, without decor.
7.	Replacement of built-in furniture	Full-fledged reinforced shelves, designed as a rack
8.	decorative niche	Interior decoration.
9.	False niche	Image of a recess (window, door, collapsed wall).
10.	Tech niche	A hollowed-out recess in a reinforced concrete wall is the best way to hide pipes.

Convenient and functional shelves near the bed

What can replace a niche?

Let us consider in detail for what purposes different types of recesses in the wall can be used. Volumetric decorative niches often replace cabinet furniture - built-in shelves can be easily adapted for homogeneous items or collectible souvenirs.

In the kitchen, niches can replace cupboards

Actually, a false window is also made in a niche of rooms devoid of natural light. They can accommodate photo wallpapers with an imitation of a beautiful panorama of the city, and the soft light of fluorescent lamps and LED strip will create the illusion of sunlight.

A niche for collections is a great solution in any room. It may hold rare tomes as part of a legacy library. No less interesting is the opening in the wall of the children's room, filled with an exhibition of Barbie dolls or exact copies of rare cars. Knitted amigurumi toys are a modern needlework trend, they also need a decent exposition niche.

Niche as a place to place collectibles

In some styles, a large amount of cabinet furniture is not expected. Many people know from Turkish TV series that several centuries ago, niches in the wall were used very widely, for example, for lighting and hiding places. The same trend has continued today in the interiors, decorated under the Arab East.

Another type of niche is applicable in the interior of a living room in a minimalist style. With the "ascetic" organization of space, replacing cabinets with practical niches has its advantages:

• significant space savings;
• creating your own place for all sorts of little things that should always be at hand (glasses, mobile phone, charger, wallet, tablet);
• convenient placement of small equipment and equipment (you can also bring an electric cable here, build in sockets);
• significant savings on bulky cabinets, a great idea for light built-in furniture that resembles a shelving unit.

The niche space is filled with ordinary and transparent glass shelves. They perfectly transmit light if there is a diode tape, light bulbs or decorative lighting in the opening being made out.

Drawn decorative false niche framed with polyurethane moldings

Making a niche in the bedroom

Sometimes the doorway of the passage room after the redevelopment is not bricked up, but re-registered. Here you can make a small dressing room, and make a doorway in another place. This is a very affordable design of a niche in the wall with your own hands.

In the recess on the accent wall, you can install a large plasma panel, a spacious aquarium or an imitation fireplace. By arranging upholstered furniture in an island so that those sitting are facing this object, it is easy to arrange a guest area without additional costs for interior design.

An interesting solution for bookshelves and TV

In general, there are many great ideas on how to adapt a niche, it all depends on the functionality of the room, the needs and lifestyle of the owners.

The benefits of organizing space with a niche

It is impossible not to mention a number of other advantages that functionally designed niches provide. But even if they do not have a special purpose, this is a great decorative technique that will modernize any interior.

Functional niches will provide:

• replacement of overall furniture and unaesthetic shelves;
• visually expand the wall;
• will become a design accent for audio and video equipment;
• help to collect homogeneous items in one place (a great solution for those who scatter things everywhere and cannot find something they need).
• a closed niche will hide communications.

Arrangement in a niche of a corner for relaxation

Important! An interesting design technique will be not just the decor of parallel niches in the wall of the same format, but some kind of multi-level structure. Open storage is more popular today than being placed in bulky cabinet furniture that creates a feeling of clutter and bad taste.

Niche instead of hanging shelves in the bathroom

When the recess is structurally and functionally consistent with the interior design, it is also an opportunity to emphasize the excellent taste of the owners of the house.

How to position a niche

There are not many ways, but there are options:

• symmetrical;
• asymmetrically;
• vertically and horizontally;
• parallel and symmetrical;
• in parallel with the shift to the side;
• 2-3 identical niches "floors" with different or identical content;
• different sizes, but with the beginning at the same distance from the vertical line of the interior (doors, windows, furniture walls);
• chaotic arrangement;
• in the form of a geometric pattern - for a dynamic interior, as in the photo of decorative niches.

Narrow vertical niches visually increase the height of the room

It is also possible to place them on an empty wall or a small free space. You can also vary for openings of the same shape:

• backlight;
• outer frames;
• interior decoration and filling.

A room with a high ceiling will become much more comfortable if you make niches in warm colors upstairs.

Do I need lighting in the recesses of the wall

Good interior design involves the illumination of all areas without dark corners. At the same time, with the help of additional lighting, it is easy to focus on an interesting object or decorate a niche in the wall of a hall or living room. Competent lighting design creates an atmosphere, hides layout flaws. For example, when the wall opposite the window is darkened in a long narrow room, especially on the north side of the house, it is like a counter light.

If there is a niche in the wall, it is important to know how to decorate it beautifully with the help of an additional light source. Any recess in itself looks darker than the rest of the room, if the rays do not fall into it.

Illuminated niche for storing a small collection of figurines

Important! In the daytime, you can do without accentuating artificial light, in the evening it is simply necessary!

Mirrored niche adds light and warmth to the room

In rooms without windows, a niche with lighting is a must. A corridor, hallway, bathroom or bathroom can be left without general lighting when bright light is not needed, but create some kind of mystical glow from a niche space. This is not only a special design technique, but also a completely functional solution, as in the photo.

Spectacular illumination of white niches against the background of black walls

For functional lighting and decoration of a niche in the wall, the following elements are applicable:

1. LED Strip Light.
2. Fluorescent lamps.
3. Flexible luminous tubes (for advertising, inscriptions and design objects on the wall).
4. Point diodes.
5. Small directional light fixtures (such as spotlights and spotlights) with rotating projectors.

Lamps in which you can change the color of the backlight, turn on and go out gradually, and also cast a patterned shadow, have a special charm.

Built-in lighting gives the niche additional volume and serves as a backlight for the general background of the room.

Highlighting draws attention to niche content

Instead of sconces and bedside lamps, backlit niches look good in the bedroom, which can be equipped with economical light sources. Reading in such lighting is not worth it, but it is quite possible to view messages on a tablet, laptop or phone before going to bed.

An important condition is that niche lighting should organically fit into the style of the interior and be in harmony with the main and local lighting. Experts recommend diffused light and universal fluorescent lamps. It is more convenient to read with the "warm" light of economical lamps combined with an incandescent bulb. In the bathroom and other rooms for relaxation, sources of the “cold” spectrum will be appropriate, giving a white, blue, green or purple glow.

Spot lighting looks luxurious in the recess

Diffused lighting softens the niche space and exposes the decor in a favorable light.

Summing up, we recall that this design element can be designed in a practical and aesthetic way. On how to decorate a niche in the wall, design ideas and inspirational examples are carefully selected for our photo gallery.

Video: how to make a drywall niche

Niches have long and tightly entered our lives. Of course, in Soviet times in small apartments it was simply not possible to allocate an entire wall for such luxury as a niche. In modern interior design, niches occupy an important place, both from a functional side and from an aesthetic one.

Niches are not an easy opening in the wall, they can often serve as a closet or shelving, visually expand the space, hide imperfections in the layout of the room or technical elements (pipes, radiators), or simply store the things you need every day.

Niches provide an opportunity to create additional free space in small rooms. This is especially true for small narrow rooms. Also, niches can be created in spacious apartments with long free walls; in such cases, niches will become wonderful decorative elements of the entire interior. Now let's look at the main ways to use niches in ordinary apartments.

1. Wall-mounted bookcase

This is a traditional and well-known way of using niches in the house. Of course, the easiest way is to design a niche in advance, its depth and the number of shelves. But it can also be easily done for small repairs. The advantages are obvious - for such a number of books, as in the photo, a rather large cabinet would be needed, and so - the niche perfectly accommodates the entire library, and also decorates an empty wall.

To decorate such a niche, you will need wooden shelves, which are sold in hardware stores. If you want to additionally highlight such a built-in shelving, think about it even at the repair stage, because the wiring is laid even before finishing work. Otherwise, you will have to install a floor lamp in close proximity to the niches.

2. Niche as a sideboard for dishes

This way of using a niche is not particularly different from the previous one. The only difference is that such a niche for dishes will look especially appropriate in the kitchen, in the dining room or in the combined dining room with the living room. Although there are several peculiarities here - niches for dishes can be much smaller, not as deep as for books, and shelves in niches can be made of glass.

Idea

A great combination - several shelves, finished with a wooden frame, are reserved for dishes, and one for candles. Practical and decorative function combined.

1

3. Niche as a decorative design

If your ceilings are high enough and you don’t want to hang banal shelves, then built-in niches are ideal for storing various small things, memorabilia and photographs. When a niche becomes a decorative element, you can already think about the complex design of ours itself and about unusual materials for its design. For example, you can paint the niche wall itself in a color different from the rest of the walls, lay it out with mosaics, or insert a mirror on the back surface. Then, thanks to the visual effect, the niche will seem even deeper.

4. A niche near the bed in the bedroom

This is a very interesting way to save space. As a rule, this is 20-30 cm, but sometimes you can “drown” the bed into the wall even half a meter. Also, we are all well aware, especially from old French films, folding beds, which were placed in a niche and closed with a closet-like door. This is a great idea for a small apartment, or an option for storing a guest sofa.

Several spotlights will fit very well into such a niche, which will give you the opportunity to comfortably read books while lying in bed. If you make a niche a little wider than the bed itself, then even small shelves can be placed in it to replace the bedside table or bedside tables.

The back wall below should be accentuated - stick wallpaper with a bright pattern, paint it with a paint that differs by several tones from that used on adjacent walls, hang paintings or a composition of photographs on this wall.

5. Niches in the bathroom

Niches in the bathroom serve as interesting decorative elements, as well as a place to store bath accessories and hygiene products. Such niches are placed in any suitable places - above the bathroom, above the washbasin, in the wall near the window (if the bathroom has a window). Niches decorated with contrasting materials look especially stylish: stone and tiles, mosaics of different contrasting colors, waterproof paint in dark shades.

In such niches it is convenient to store clean towels, then they will always be at hand. In addition to hygiene products, small potted plants or sets of decorative vessels will look great in niches.

To create a romantic atmosphere, place a few lighted candles in a niche.

6. Niches for placing additional lighting and visual expansion of space

As we said earlier, a niche is not just a shelf built into the wall, it is also an important design element of the room as a whole. So, with their help, you can hide a TV or a picture, add a few additional lamps, or sconces.

An interesting combination of niches of different sizes - in the photo below, a TV and a built-in fireplace are hidden in two large niches, and shelves with photographs are hidden in two smaller ones. The designer chose natural stone as the main material for finishing the structure, which hides a fireplace with a chimney.

As we know, a mirror in front of the bathroom doors helps to visually enlarge the space. And especially it works in tandem with a niche with additional light.

A mirror recessed into a niche, which is also finished with a different material, already serves as a decorative element. But to expand the space in the photo below, another interesting technique was used - a mirror not the size of the entire wall, but a little smaller, as if a picture in a passport, and it is precisely due to this that the niche visually deepens the wall.

To summarize: a niche is a versatile way to decorate an empty wall or small sections of walls. It can play a functional role - shelves for storing books and utensils, or be a decor item, provided that the niche itself is beautifully designed and unusual materials are used for its decoration.

author

Julia Danilova

Interior designer