Wall Niches - Are They In Or Out?

What is it with wall niches around here? Every house I walk into in the suburbs has a niche. Or two. Or more.

Want to see the Granddaddy of all wall niches? We tore this one out on one of my projects. 

Huge wall niche in a remodel project. What to put in there? These are difficult to dust and keep clean and look really contrived in a home.

World's largest niche located above another niche! We’re niched out!

Enormous, right?

This is what will go in it's place. :-)

Deisgn plan with fireplace wall with built-in cabinetry and tv over fireplace replaces large wall niches - Carla Aston

The fireplace with cabinetry was moved to that wall. Much better! There’s just no need for a giant niche!

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Wall niche located up high in two story space. Hard to get to and dust. :-(

I suppose builders installed them to create interest and depth in these tall spaces we have in the suburbs. (I have a post on production builder homes interior details that look cheap here if you want to see more. :-)

However, most times, they create decorating problems and chop up the space unnecessarily.

You have to dream up some kind of arrangement of stuff or something to hang in them. And usually, they're up high, so you'll never be able to dust or clean up there properly.

Another high wall niche in an entry hall. Difficult to reach to dust properly.

Because everyone has just the right piece of art or sculpture for these wall niches, don’t they?

Ah yes, the dusty flower arrangement. Perfect for a niche that is 16’ up off the ground. And those A/C vents look really nice featured in the niche, right? :-(

Got some random space in the wall? Why not put a niche for a bunch of little objects. (not)

Sometimes they’re so big the decorating can look like a stage set.

I have a niche in my house too.

It's right at the top of the stairs. It backs up to my daughter's bathroom we remodeled a few years ago. You can see the niche in the floor plan at that link.

When we lived in Norway, I collected a few unique antiques to bring back with me to remind us of those years spent there.

One of the items was an old birch backpack, formerly used to gather blueberries, with blueberry stains still inside.

In Norway, wild blueberry picking in the summer is popular. They have lots of wild blueberry bushes in the underbrush in certain areas, and my family and I would gather some ourselves with our special blueberry picker. :-)

So, when I brought that backpack home to Houston, I wanted a special place to hang it. Really, this niche was ideal.

It was the perfect size, and kind of protected the backpack by having it recessed in the wall. I paired it with some old ice skates, some Norwegian carved cups, and an antique Norwegian food box. It actually makes a nice little family memory nook. 

Okay, so not all niches are bad. :-)

If you have some specific piece of art or antique or special object to feature, putting it in a niche can be nice, if it fits properly.

If you have some specific piece of art or antique or special object to feature, putting it in a niche can be nice, if it fits properly.

 

I got this pic recently in a Designed in a Click® consultation, a weird niche right above the fireplace. The homeowner didn’t know what to do with it.

Since the niche is open all the way down to the mantel, I suggested she mount some shutters there. She can hang a wreath, a mirror, some king of ornament, etc. on top.

Then, she doesn't have to get it patched up with sheetrock and have dust and sanding and a painter in her house.

This is the “dustless’ way to deal with it. Easy fix, no? :-)

Bonus benefit - Christmas present hiding spot!!!

Awkward niche above the fireplace needs attention. What to do??? carlaaston.com

Get some shutters to cover the niche, make sure they overlap all the edges. They can be old and antique or new, painted a color or left as a natural wood finish. Then top with a wreath, and round mirror, or maybe even a piece of art! carlaaston.com

There are other items you can use to cover a niche too, depending on the size niche you have. A big mirror, a large piece of art and a decorative screen are all items that could be mounted over the top of a niche.

I would advise to remove the moulding around it, if it has any, so you can mount something flat on top of it.

These shutters would make a nice cover for an unwanted niche and add a little rustic character to a house at the same time.

Are you looking for some shutters or screens to cover up a niche? I might have some links below.

Here’s a consultation where I worked WITH the existing niches in a home office. :-)

This post is from the archives but was updated 7/2023. It was thoughtfully written by me, Carla Aston, and not by AI, ghostwriters, or guest posters.

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