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shower niche alternative

7 years ago

So unfortunately we were unable to build a niche into our shower when we redid our bathroom. According to our contractor there wasn’t enough space behind the walls. We’re looking for a good alternative to a niche. Something that aesthetically compliments our bathroom/shower. I’ve gotten great recommendations here in the past! Thanks in advance!

Comments (22)

  • 7 years ago

    i call bs on that. studs are 2x4. you have the standard amount of space like every other shower.


    at the very least, he could have given you a corner shelf made out of the tile


    can you give me a close up of your curb?? what's going on there?

    have any pics of the walls before the tile went up?

  • 7 years ago

    @beverly those are beautiful but I believe they need to be installed prior to tiling? I’d have to do some research

    @beth that picture is during renovations. We have a saddle in now.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I was concerned w/the way it was constructed. thought I saw screw or holes on top of the curb.

    and I still call bs on the tile guy. there is no reason you couldn't have had a niche. or a corner shelf made from your tile (they're sandwiched together and installed in the corner between the wall tiles.

  • 7 years ago

    @beth I know. I didnt think it would be an issue. I got a phone call one day and was just told they couldn’t do it. Considering I’m not too familiar with renovating, I just ok’d them. Maybe it was just too much work and they weren’t interested in doing it. Who knows! Now just trying to find an alternative that will look nice.

  • 7 years ago

    beverly's is nice. they can drill into the tile to install these (just like they do for shower glass doors)

  • 7 years ago

    Like Beth I call BS.

    Do you have pics of how they did the shower before the tile went on? I'm concerned that if they were too dang lazy to put in a niche, then they were too dang lazy to do a proper waterproof job.

  • PRO
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I actually don’t like niches they are always skuzzy and often done in an accent tile which really makes no sense who wants to high light shampoo bottles. I like the caddies that hang over the wall or door. they stay much cleaner and when you find they don’t hold enough just get a bigger one. We have internationl students that share a bathroom they each have a little caddy they take to their bedrooms after showering eliminates the mess of a bunch of bottles everywhere.



  • PRO
    7 years ago

    And since we no longer can have 2 pics this is also a nice one


  • 7 years ago

    It's very possible there isn't room. At least one wall is exterior, and if you're in a cold climate it's a good decision not to put a niche there. Perhaps the wall that isn't shown is also an exterior wall. It might have been possible to put a niche in the plumbing wall IF the plumber had been informed of that ahead of time so he/she could route the plumbing to leave room, but your shower is very narrow so maybe even moving the plumbing over wouldn't have left enough room.

  • PRO
    7 years ago


    Custom Showers & Whirlpools · More Info


    Custom Showers · More Info

    Here is some we did with glass shelves

    Custom Showers & Whirlpools · More Info


  • 7 years ago

    Patricia, are these caddies rust-proof? Don't they get wet and need to be dried before carrying them back to the room? They hang over the bedroom door? Or am I misunderstanding something?

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    A caddy hung on a glass panel will have your shampoo bottles on even more full display than in a niche. I recommend a small teak corner seat. You can put your things on it, and/use it as a seat. Some benches have a shelf underneath, or a little caddy attached.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    If you can install a grab bar in an existing shower, the Choreograph system from Kohler can be installed. Just have to use the correct anchors.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    A nice teak bench would work



  • PRO
    7 years ago

    I would also be concerned about the waterproofing done based on that curb!

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Looks like your shower is marble? You can go to most tile shops and find matching marble corner shelves. Even though we have niches, we still installed shelving in some of our full baths and all of them were installed AFTER the tile on the walls was installed. Here we used a shelf as a foot rest....



    9 - New Build - Master Bath · More Info



  • 7 years ago

    I know some people here don't like them, but what about using a wall mounted dispenser? We have a bit of a more budget model and I really like how it functions in our shower. SimpleHuman makes a pretty nice looking one.


    Only downside is if you use thick conditioner that does not pump out super well.


    Prior to that we used a rack that mounted over the showerhead, downside is that is some are prone to rust and the plastic ones to develop that pink bathroom slime stuff over time.

  • 7 years ago

    We use the stainless shower caddies designed to hang over the showerhead, but on the opposite wall of the shower. Instead of hooks, we installed porcelain cabinet knobs in the same color as our tile, and that's what holds the shower caddy and other hanging items (loofas, brushes, whatever). Because they're outside the main "spray zone," everything stays much cleaner.

  • 5 years ago

    I dont know where you’re from but where I live it’s code that you can’t have a niche on any exterior walls. So that may be the case?

  • 5 years ago

    Haha. This thread is reminding me that when we gutted our "remodeled" tub/shower combo we discovered that the walls were framed in 2x3. In fact all our interior walls are framed in 2x3 so the joke's on us. This house has a ton of quirks and that's one of them. The prior "niche" that had been installed in the shower on that 2x3 wall was not waterproofed, the back of the niche was actually a piece of tile just slapped on with adhesive to the drywall (which was the wall of the adjoining bedroom.). Believe it or not there was actually zero water damage whatsoever. I was actually quite shocked.


    Anyway. Let me throw a vote in for schluter shelves which can be added into the grout lines after tile install if necessary. we have two and they are rock solid and come in a variety of patterns and coated steel colors including gray if you wanted something to blend in.


    https://www.schluter.com/schluter-us/en_US/Shower-System/Accessories/Shelves/Schluter%C2%AE-SHELF-E/p/SHELF_E

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    @BeverlyFLADeziner thank you for suggesting the Kohler Choreograph. I ordered the 24" and it is substantial and of excellent quality. The fact that this provides shelving along with an elegant grab bar is perfect for me. I can't wait to see it installed in our bathroom remodel!