Shower Niche Designs
Shower Wall Niches: What You Need to Know for Your Colorado Springs Bathroom Remodel
Alright, you’re in the heat of the design process for your shower remodel. You have your shower pan tile selected, your wall tile picked out… what’s next? The niche. Do you need one? How big? Which wall? You’ve come to the right spot, as I’m about to give you more information than you thought you needed on shower niches—especially if you’re planning a bathroom remodel in Colorado Springs.
Size Matters
Studs inside your home are placed 16” from center to center. That means the distance between the two studs is 14.5 inches, which decreases by another inch and a half minimum once your backer board and tile are added. This is why you see so many of the narrow, tall, nearly useless niches in folks’ showers.
The niche needs to be planned for in the framing stage of the project. It needs to be determined if your shower wall can be modified based on how your home is built—or if it’s simply a partition wall.
We typically build our niches at least 16 inches high in the framing stage, which is plenty even for a big-box shampoo bottle. After that, we go for a width that can fit all your shower accessories, typically in the 3-foot range, but we’ve gone as wide as 8 feet in double showers. We use a thicker piece of wood such as a doubled 2x6 for the header to avoid any sagging over time.
A complementary niche that can also be considered during framing is a shaving cubby, which can be helpful when shaving your legs in the shower.
Niche Placement
As much as we’d like it to, a niche can’t just be built anywhere without considering a few factors. For starters, a niche can’t go inside an exterior wall. Not only are these walls typically load-bearing (meaning framing modifications require extra precautions), but they also house insulation that helps regulate the temperature inside your home—a big deal here in Colorado Springs, where winters get chilly.
If the best spot for the niche happens to be on an exterior wall, we typically frame another wall in front of it to house the niche, as pictured in some of our recent bathroom remodeling projects.
Another placement challenge? - Niches on the same wall as the shower valve. These walls often house plumbing supply pipes that may need to be re-routed—again, something that needs to be planned in advance.
Style
You’ve likely already considered this—but what are you planning the niche to look like?
Will the tile pattern continue through the niche, or will it act as an accent with a different tile entirely? If you’re leaning toward contrast, we typically recommend using the same tile as your floor or shower pan. This way, you’re not introducing a third or fourth design element—unless that’s your thing!
Another thing to consider is the border. This is where it’s especially important to work with an experienced tile professional (like us!) to avoid ruining the entire look of the wall. Let’s run through some options:
Schluter trim profiles – These give a clean, finished edge, but must be mitered at the corners. Butt joints with Schluter are a no-go.
Bullnose tile pieces – A great option if they come in a matching style and size to your wall tile. Keep layout in mind.
Butt joints – Only advisable with polished natural stone, never ceramic or porcelain.
Mitered joints – This requires serious skill from your tile installer but delivers an elegant finish.
Planning a Shower Remodel in Colorado Springs?
We love helping Colorado Springs homeowners design beautiful, functional bathrooms—from simple updates to full renovations. If you're thinking about adding a niche to your shower as part of a bathroom remodel, we’d love to help you plan it right from the start.
Let us know what you think we left off the list. And if you’re planning a bathroom remodel in Colorado Springs, contact us today to schedule a consultation.