How To Make The Most Of The Shower Niche In Your Home
If you have a shower alcove in your bathroom, you’re in luck. Shower niches have two major advantages. The main use is to add storage space for things like shampoo, conditioner and soap. This can be especially handy for smaller shower designs. The second advantage of these corners is that they can improve the aesthetics of a bathroom. Shower niches fit a bathroom’s design better than bulky caddies or corner shelves. To make a cubby stand out, it can be lined with contrasting tiles. Or, to make it seem cohesive, one corner could be filled with the same tiles as the rest of the shower.
Niches have many different names. According to Mission Tile West, they can be called a built-in shower shelf, a recessed shower shelf, or a shower shelf insert. If you’re lucky enough to have one in your home, you need to know how to make the most of it. Below are 15 ways to make the most of that storage space.
1. Keep it simple
Keep the display simple to get the most out of your built-in shower shelf. Crowding your corner with too many items can make your space feel disorganized. Only put items on the shelf that you use regularly.
2. Use as loofah storage
If you use a loofah in the shower, you can store it in your shower liner. If you don’t have much shelf space, you can also put a hook in the niche and hang your loofah there.
3. Present aesthetic bottles
To make your shower more aesthetically pleasing, put shampoo, conditioner and shower gel in matching containers. This will improve the organization of your niche.
4. Use as bathroom accessory storage
If you have a shower that doubles as a bathtub, use your corners to store bathroom accessories. Children’s toys, bath bombs and bubble bath solution could all be stored here. You can also put up a fun decorative sign.
5. Display decorative plants
If you have multiple storage locations in your shower, you can use your sunken shower shelf purely as a place for decorative plants. A caddy, corner shelf, or the rim of a tub can hold shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and other toiletries.
6. Add another corner outside of the shower
To make your bathroom appear more closed and to create more storage space, you can install another built-in shelf outside the shower. This could be placed above the toilet or against any blank wall. The alcove outside the shower could hold things like a toothbrush, facial tonic, or makeup.
7. Encourage relaxation with a candle
A shower shelf insert could also be used to store a candle. This creates a peaceful atmosphere in your shower area. However, just like using the space to display plants, you need another area to store your shower essentials.
8. Install an LED light strip
To accentuate this design feature, consider installing a shower-compatible LED light strip in the top corner. Or you can surround the area with strips of light to illuminate the entire angle.
9. Make room with a caddy
As previously mentioned, adding a caddy in a different area of the shower provides more storage space for the alcove. A caddy can be attached to the wall or corner with suction cups. It can also be hung on the door or shower head.
10. Add a bench under the niche
To maximize the usefulness of your built-in shelving, you can install a bench under the cubby. This would give you a place to sit while you shave or relax in the shower. The corner of your bench could also be a place to store large bottles or other shower products.
11. Install multiple shelves
If you have a tall, sunken shower shelf, consider installing a shelf (or shelves) in the corner. This gives you more surface area to store multiple items. And it could create a larger and a smaller storage compartment, so your alcove can easily hold all your toiletries.
12. Have a window double as a niche
If your shower has a window, the edge of the window could also serve as a niche. This allows natural light to still stream into your shower while providing another storage solution.
13. Use an alcove outside the shower to store towels
If you have built-in shelving right next to your shower, you can use that space to store towels. So you can wrap yourself in a warm towel right after the shower.
14. Keep items organized in two stacked niches
Some showers come with two cubbies, one on top of the other, each a different size. If this is the case for you, you have many options for organizing your stuff in a way that makes the most sense to you.
15. Add extra storage space with two separate corners
Those sharing a bathroom would benefit from two separate corners, either in the shower or right outside. So each of you has your own space to store your shower essentials.