Shower Niche Ideas

by | Jul 2, 2025 | Bathroom Design, Interior Design

There are many options for bathroom niche design. However, when designing your niche, it is essential to ensure it complements the overall bathroom design. 

Shower niches are a great convenience, providing organization and storage in the bathroom. The ease of use is an excellent benefit for bathroom niches, and they can seamlessly integrate into the overall bathroom design or provide a pop of contrast. 

I am Jorge Fontan, an architect in New York and the owner of a Manhattan-based architecture and design firm, Fontan Architecture. At our office, we work on various types of projects, including residential renovations and new home designs. While designing people’s homes, we always consider niches for the bathrooms. Below are a few bathroom niches we have made in bathrooms we designed.  

 

Marble Slab Shower Niche 

The epitome of luxury bathroom design is the use of natural stone slabs, such as marble. That is why we begin with marble slab niches. When making a marble bathroom using full slabs of stone, we prefer to create a seamless niche made of the same material.

In this niche design option, the shower niche and walls are all made of the same material. The marble is miter cut, which means the pieces are all cut at a 45-degree angle and then put together to make a 90-degree corner. This method creates a seamless design where you cannot see any joints, frames, or anything. The niche is recessed into the marble slab, giving it a minimalist look.

In the photo below, you can see the marble niches from a bathroom we designed using this technique. This type of niche is one of the most elegant and luxurious design options available for a bathroom niche. Notice the seamless aesthetic and continuous feel this gives. It is minimal, modern, and luxurious.

Marble Shower Niche

Marble Shower Niche

 

Wood Bathroom Niche

One material you can consider using in your bathroom is wood. If you have an area that will not receive constant water exposure, for example, at a tub, you could use wood to create an accent and add warmth.

In the bathroom below, we have a free-standing bathtub with wood slats on the wall beyond. The bathtub niche is continuous with the wood slat wall, using the same matching material. This design adds a nice touch of relief to what would otherwise be a stark bathroom. In this case, the wood will receive minimal exposure to water; otherwise, I would not recommend using this type of detail.

Wood Bathroom Niche Ideas

Wood Bathroom Niche Ideas

 

Metal Niche

You can always create your niches out of metal, which can provide a great look, as long as it complements the overall design. The most important aspect of good, tasteful design is cohesion and continuity.

In the bathroom below, we used a dark grey porcelain tile but added a bronze shower niche. The combination of materials works exceptionally well, complementing each other quite nicely.

Metal Shower Niche Design

Metal Shower Niche Design

 

Horizontal Niche

Having a strong horizontal geometry can be an excellent look for a bathroom niche. Making the niches oversized can also be a great look.

In the bathroom below, we utilized a large horizontal niche adjacent to the bathtub. This niche is an excellent complement to the modern lines that characterize the rest of the design. The niche is also quite large, making a statement within this large bathroom. If it were too small, it might stand out and appear out of proportion.

Bathroom Niche Ideas

Bathroom Niche Ideas

 

Wood Look Porcelain Niche

If you want a spa-like feel but are concerned about using wood in your bathroom, there are many options for wood-look porcelain tiles. There are many natural materials that you can substitute with porcelain designed to resemble natural materials, such as wood, stone, and others.

In this niche, we used a porcelain that resembles wood slats because it is a shower, and we wanted to opt for the durability of porcelain.

Wood Look Porcelain Niche

Wood Look Porcelain Niche

 

Wall to Wall Shower Niche

The wall-to-wall niche can be a great look. This type is a niche that extends the entire length from one wall to the next. This option has an elegant and modern design with a simplistic look.

This photo is of another marble slab bathroom with a wall-to-wall niche. The niche is made of marble slabs and features a seamless design, extending the entire width of the bathroom. You can see how much of a design feature the wall-to-wall niche is and how it integrates seamlessly into the overall bathroom design.

Wall to Wall Shower Niche

Wall to Wall Shower Niche

 

Shower Niche Frame

One of the easiest ways to create a shower niche and make it more common is to use a frame. In this case, the niche does not have to be the matching material to the walls. This type of niche is made with stone, solid surfacing materials, or a variety of other options that box out the opening of the niche. In this case, you will see the outline of the material and the border between the niche and the wall.

In the picture below, you can see a penny tile shower wall with a white frame niche. The niche is made of a box of marble that is inserted into the opening. This niche design creates contrast on the wall, which, when done right, can look quite lovely.

Shower Niche Frame

Shower Niche Frame

 

Shower Niche Edge Trim

Porcelain is a very popular material for bathrooms, but it often requires edge strips to protect the surface. When making an outside corner, you can add an edge strip to the tile joints. The trim piece becomes the corner. It is an easier way to make porcelain shower niches. One thing to note is that this option has a distinct look, which is less seamless than some of the other designs we have shown.

In this bathroom, we used large-format porcelain and installed black edge strips to stand out and define the corners of the bathroom niche.

Shower Niche Edge Trim

Shower Niche Edge Trim

 

Bathroom Niche Lighting

One easy way to elevate your niche design is to add lighting. Accent lights can be implemented in various ways. We often use a linear LED strip when creating long, rectangular niches.

Here you can see another bathroom made of stone slabs. This time using Travertine. The niche is once again seamless and minimal. We have a light strip in the niche and around the mirror to create an accent. Lighting has a significant impact on elevating the overall bathroom design.

Shower Niche Lighting

Shower Niche Lighting

 

Shower Niche Design Ideas

There are many options for your niches. The most important thing is that this is all thought out together with the rest of the bathroom design. There are many materials you can use when designing a bathroom niche. As an architect, when choosing materials and design options for your bathroom, I always consider the overall design in balance with all the details. 

Bathroom design should be cohesive and thought out. We do not simply throw materials together. We always work out bathroom design as a whole, ensuring that the choices complement each other.

Modern Shower Niche Ideas

Modern Shower Niche Ideas

 

Thank You for Reading Our Blog Post on Bathroom Niche Designs.

I hope this was helpful. If you want to speak with an architect about a potential project, you can contact us at Fontan Architecture directly. 

Contact Fontan Architecture

Contact Fontan Architecture

Jorge Fontan
Jorge Fontan

This post was written by Jorge Fontan AIA a Registered Architect and owner of New York City architecture firm Fontan Architecture. Jorge Fontan has earned 3 degrees in the study of architecture including two degrees from the City University of New York and a Masters Degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Jorge has a background in construction and has been practicing architecture for 20 years where he has designed renovations and new developments of various building types.