designer - Evelyn Chin

large wall niches

photographed by Peter Senn Yuen

Carve out a private niche in any room by placing a thickly cushioned window seat - with a pair of wall sconces mounted on the wall to provide lighting for reading - in a remote corner.

Expanding Place with Large Wall Niches

Wall Niches come in all shapes and sizes and are not only simply decorative. Wall niches can be functional as well by creating additional space in the room. Space to call your own is expensive, and very few people can afford the ideal amount of square footage. Though your apartment or house may be not huge, with creativity and imagination you can make it ample to fulfill your needs by expending your sense of wonder, awe, and adventure so you do not feel closed in.

The deep wall niche can expand the room, creating a warm, welcoming space. The wall niche not only adds a sense of space and beauty but is functional as well. It creates a spot to sit and relax.

These large niches that encompass floor space can be used in many ways - to expand an entry, hold a buffet table in a dining room, contain a window seat, display a piece of sculpture, or even hold a vanity in the bathroom.

How can you incorporate wall niches into the structure of your home? Which walls or openings could you transform? What objects you would like to showcase? What other purpose would the wall niche serve? Look through design books and magazines for ideas, and plan for wall niches early in your building or remodeling process. Discuss wall niches size and placement with your contractor. if your wall niches have an arched top you should try to repeat shapes of your wall niches in other elements in your home, such as cabinets or soffits. You also can create arches that harmonize with large wall niches, exuding the look of quality construction in your home. Be creative, take risk, and have fun using these architectural details to add pizzazz, romance, and drama to your rooms.