If you’re about to dive into a bathroom renovation and wondering if shower niches are a good idea, you’re in the right place! We recently included shower niches in both bathrooms of our Modern Farmhouse renovation and can safely say that these handy recesses are a game-changer.

What is a shower niche?

A shower niche is a built-in recess that holds soaps, shampoos and other bathroom decor and products. Consider it a simple way to elevate bathrooms and the end of ugly shower caddies and cluttered floors!

Why shower niches are a good idea

We put a lot of research into the design of our ensuite and guest bathroom and it helped us realise how essential a shower niche is. Let’s take a closer look at why we’ve come to love them and recommend them to everyone taking on a reno.

Shower niches give soaps and shampoos a home!

Forget clunky caddies and ugly soap holders, a shower niche gives bathroom products a designated place to sit and stay organised. They’re also a great excuse to splash out on those luxe products you’ve had your eye on!

They add a “wow moment” to bathrooms

Aside from functionality, shower niches are booming in the popularity stakes because of their visual interest. They add depth to the space, provide contrast with the rest of the shower and they integrate seamlessly for a lovely sleek finish. For maximum luxury appeal, trust us, a shower niche is a must!

With shower niches, you’re the designer

A built-in shower niche can be tailored to your family’s needs. Lengths, widths and heights are all customisable, helping you with functionality, aesthetics and the illusion of space. By installing strip lighting within the recess, they add a welcome pop of brightness, or if you want to create awesome contrast in your bathroom, use a different coloured tile in your niche! The choice is all yours.

Cleaning is easy!

Some people say that shower niches collect mould. We say they don’t collect anywhere near as much mould as portable shower caddies! This is because, unlike shower caddies, a niche doesn’t have multiple crevices and shelves that accumulate soap scum. Essentially a rectangular recess, a shower niche only needs to be wiped out when you clean the shower. Easy peasy!

Our experience with shower niches

When we set about planning the ensuite and guest bathroom of this family home, we wanted the rooms to work hard and look amazing. Shower niches played a big part in ramping up the luxe in both spaces.

Guest Bathroom

Renovating this bathroom was always going to be a challenge because it was very narrow and lacked natural light. We knew from the outset that smart design was essential to making the space feel bigger and brighter than it was, so we worked closely with our builder to make it happen.

We established quite early that a full-width shower niche was essential for three important reasons. Firstly, because the shower cubicle sits directly opposite the door, we knew that a wide and roomy shower niche would capture the eye immediately and provide that “wow moment” we so wanted.

Secondly, by tiling the niche with vertical subway tiles, we created the feeling of space in what was a tight area and continued the story of height in the room.

And lastly, by installing LED strip lighting within the niche, we created the extra light the room needed. (You could easily forget there’s no natural light in the room!)

“With no natural light in the room, it was essential to get as much brightness into this bathroom as we could. Installing LED lights within the shower niche was a genius idea and it completely changed the look and feel of the room.”

Liz from the Making HOME team

How we installed shower niche lighting

As mentioned above, shower niche lighting is a highlight in this bathroom and the good news is it’s very easy to install. The key is being organised!

• Brief the electrician when they are doing the electrical rough-in that you would like strip lighting and identify where you want it. They will ensure they run the required cable.
• Ensure that whoever is sheeting the bathroom with Villaboard remembers to pull the cable for the strip light through at the right point.
• Ensure the waterproofers get a good seal around the cable when they are applying the membrane.
• Brief the tiler so they are clear that the cable is for a strip light. They will ensure they keep the cable in place when they are tiling. Your tiler then leaves the correct gap behind the tiles that run across the top of the niche for the strip light to be installed once the tiling is complete.
• The electrician will set the aluminium strip light housing in place. They will wire up the strip lighting to the cable that was roughed in and then add a protective translucent strip of plastic over the actual strip of lights. This diffuses the light so you don’t see each tiny bulb and protects the lights from any water.

Master Ensuite

This home didn’t have a master ensuite, so we had to build one from scratch! While some design elements didn’t fall into place until later, there were two very clear priorities for this space: aesthetics and functionality.

Rather than installing a full-length shower niche as we did in the guest bathroom, we added a full-length shelf for bathroom products and a low-level niche for shaving your legs!

Not only is this mini niche a massive talking point in the room, but it’s a highly functional and luxurious extra you wouldn’t expect to find in most homes. And needless to say, we’ll be adding a lot more of these to future renovations!

Honestly, the mini shower niche in the master ensuite is one of my favourite features of the house! A lot of people haven’t seen this done before, but they all love it once they understand how handy it is!”

Nikki from the Making HOME team

See more on the Making HOME Renovation Series!