How to Beautifully Decorate a Wall Niches

There are different approaches to such recesses: some people consider it an inconvenience that needs to be masked, while others use or even make a wall niche for household purposes and decoration of their living space. But how to do it?

Ways to Create a Recess and Its Decoration

In most modern apartments (especially cheaper ones), wall recesses are not provided for. However, a niche can be made by yourself; you just need to remember that in load-bearing structures it is not easy: special permission will be required. In a partition between rooms, a recess can be made without paperwork. The first thing to do is to decide on the purpose of the niche, which can be used for storing small household items, decorative objects, appliances, installing shelves, as well as a bed or wardrobe. Photos of niches in interior design are shown below.

Surface-mounted Niches from Gypsum Board

In this case (if the recess will be used for storing light items), you have to sacrifice some room area. To set up the structure, metal profiles must be installed on the wall and covered with gypsum board sheets to form a false panel and a recess of the required size. How can it be decorated?

• Coat the inside with exactly the same material as the real walls.

• Make an accent on the niche by giving it a color that contrasts with the overall room background.

• Use decorative plaster to create a particular pattern or ornament: this will give an extraordinary effect, but you'll need to hire a specialist.

• Use inexpensive self-adhesive film with a desired image.

• Create relief decoration using textured wallpapers (linen), moldings, or bamboo.

Niches Inside Finished Walls

To create a recess in a brick wall, professional help is needed. It's necessary to know the thickness of the partition, mark it on the wall, and proceed with grooving. The advantage of this method is that it doesn't take up valuable square centimeters of area. A niche in a brick wall can be decorated using one of the above methods.

Design: Svetlana Chepikova

Color and Decorative Design

In the first case, designers offer a couple of options. The interior of the niche can have the same (or very similar) shade as the other walls. The second option involves a contrasting color. But avoid painting the recess in dark tones: it will make it look like a black hole. It's better to use calm pastel shades.

What is placed in the niches? Usually, shelves for decorative items, figurines, vases, paintings or books. Also, household appliances or oversized furniture parts like sofas or wardrobes can be placed inside the recesses.

Features and Design of Wall Niches in Different Rooms

Depending on the location in a particular room, the recess will have its own nuances in decorative design. What are the features of niches in various rooms?

• In the bedroom
  

Decorating a wall niche in this room is quite popular. The construction will look effectively if it houses a bed headboard. In this case, a mirror or a lamp can be placed in the recess. Designers recommend highlighting the niche and its accent using wallpapers: cover the main area of the room with monochrome fabrics, and the area where the recess is - with samples featuring not overly prominent images.

Design: Svetlana Chepikova

• In the living room
  

The main room of a house is where relatives and friends are received. Therefore, it's not surprising that homeowners want to make the niche decoration and design interesting and original. One of the options is creating three parallel recesses, each containing figurines, vases, or other art objects. The charm of the design will be added by soft, unobtrusive lighting.