Creating Interior Niches with Recessed Walls

I’ve always liked recessed walls in bathrooms, but lately via the web I’ve been noticing them in other areas of the home such as living areas and bedrooms. Best described as a wall within a wall, when painted in the same colour as the walls, they create a tonal, minimalist niche, that plays on light and shadow. While they are ideal for bathrooms to provide a nook in the shower for accessories, they can also be functional in other areas of the home, acting as a little space to display objects such as ceramics, books or plants. If we were to build again, I’d love to incorporate this feature!

The gorgeous bedroom above and below belongs to Finnish creative Riika, the Business Developer of Marimekko and founder of the blog and kids fashion brand Coterie. A newly completed apartment in Southern Helsinki, where she lives with her young family, I absolutely love how the recessed shelf acts as a little nook for bedside belongings.

Styling by Susanna Vento / Photography by Uno Rautio in the home of Riika of Coterie for Matri

Here are some more favourites I’ve saved from around the web lately. They demonstrate different ideas for recessed wall niches in terms of shapes (I love the arched niche), and ways to style them.

Clockwise from Left

Moroseta Villas photographed by Salva Lopez

Kinfolk Gallery by Norm Architects

Styling by Imogene Roache/Photography by Dave Wheeler for Real Living

NR Ceramics

Rachel Saunders Ceramics

Styling and photography by Michiel Bosman

Frama, Copenhagen

Kinfolk Gallery designed by Norm Architects

Moroseta Villas photographed by Salva Lopez

Via @deanomarz

Styling and photography by Olivia Thébaut

Another clever idea for the bedroom, I love the way photographer Olivia Thébaut has created one above the bed in her beautiful home in France.

If you’re building or renovating and looking for more interesting ideas, another one of my favourite interior elements is arches. One from the archives but still relevant, take a look here.