Micro-Design: Neat Little Niches

Until very recently, I associated wall niches with medieval castles, where one places the candelabra while ascending the dark stone stairs. So you see, I'm a little dated. I've always lived and worked among pre-war structures — those built before the first world war — where architectural details come in the form of ornate crown and base moldings, chair rails, waincotting and the like. But living in Austin, where there is plenty of older housing stock and tons of new construction, I've been introduced to (what appears to me as) some builders' answers to architectural detailing: the wall niche.

In addition to old house-dwelling, I maintain a lifelong status as a small-space dweller. As such, dedicating areas exclusively for decorative object showcasing has been a foreign concept to me. But, now I have clients in larger suburban homes and I'm faced with wall niches — and what to put in them so they remain tidy and tie in with the rest of the home.