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What a niche does in a bathroom
A niche is a recess built into the wall, set back from the surface, that holds bottles, soap and everyday items without a shelf or caddy hanging from the showerhead. It keeps the shower floor clear, makes cleaning easier and gives the room a built-in, finished look.
Niches have moved from a luxury detail to a standard inclusion in most mid-range and premium bathroom renovations. If you are stripping the walls back anyway, adding one costs little extra in labour and materials.
Where to place a niche
The most common spot is in the shower, at a height between chest and eye level — roughly 1,000 to 1,400 millimetres from the floor. This puts everyday items within easy reach without bending.
A second niche beside the vanity replaces a shelf or cabinet top. It can hold skincare, a toothbrush holder or rolled hand towels. A niche in the wall behind the toilet can store spare rolls without a freestanding holder.
Avoid placing a niche on an external wall if possible. External walls often carry insulation and may be thinner, making the recess harder to build without cutting into the insulation layer. Internal walls between rooms are usually the easiest to work with.
Sizing and proportions
A standard single niche is 300 millimetres wide by 400 millimetres tall by 80 to 100 millimetres deep. That holds most bottles upright. A double-height niche — 300 by 600 or 300 by 800 — gives two shelf levels with a horizontal tile divider in the middle.
The width and height should align with the tile grid. A niche that cuts a tile in half looks messy. A niche that sits neatly between full tiles looks intentional. Your tiler plans the niche around the tile layout, not the other way around.
Our storage solutions guide covers other ways to add storage in a small bathroom when a niche alone is not enough.
Waterproofing a niche
A niche in a shower wall is a wet area within a wet area. Every surface inside the niche — top, bottom, sides and back — must be waterproofed to AS 3740, the same standard as the shower walls. The membrane wraps into the recess and ties into the wall membrane around the opening.
The most common failure point is the bottom shelf of the niche. Water pools there. If the membrane is not properly detailed at the corners or the shelf does not slope slightly forward, water sits behind the tile and eventually works its way into the wall framing.
A properly built niche has a slight fall — 2 to 3 millimetres from back to front — so water drains out rather than pooling inside.
Tile and finish options
The simplest approach is to tile the niche in the same tile as the surrounding wall. It blends in and looks clean. The alternative is to use a contrasting tile — a different colour, a mosaic or a feature tile — to turn the niche into a design detail.
A marble or stone-look tile inside a white or grey-tiled shower adds a focal point without overwhelming the room. LED strip lighting behind or above the niche adds depth and makes the recess stand out. The light must be rated for wet areas.
Our tiling and finishes guide covers how to choose tiles that work together across the room.
How ETR builds niches
The niche is planned during the design phase, before tiling starts. Farah Dawood works out the placement, size and tile alignment as part of the layout drawing. The niche is framed into the wall stud work, waterproofed with the rest of the shower, and tiled to match or contrast the surrounding wall.
Adam Dawood, with over 25 years in tiling, sets the niche so it aligns with the tile grid and the shelf slopes forward for drainage. Every niche is waterproofed to AS 3740. A free on-site measure anywhere in Sydney is the starting point.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a bathroom niche cost to add?
If the walls are already being stripped and rebuilt — as in a full renovation — the extra cost is modest: framing, a small amount of extra waterproofing and tiling. It is far cheaper to add during a renovation than to retrofit later, because the wall is already open.
Can I have more than one niche?
Yes. A tall double niche in the shower with a divider shelf is common. A second niche beside the vanity or behind the toilet adds storage elsewhere in the room. The main limit is wall space and stud locations.
Should the niche tile match the wall tile?
It depends on the look you want. Matching tiles create a seamless, built-in feel. A contrasting tile — a feature mosaic, a different colour or a stone-look tile — turns the niche into a design feature. Both approaches work; it is a style choice.
Does a niche weaken the wall?
Not when it is properly framed. The niche is built into the wall stud work with a header and cripple studs, so the surrounding wall keeps its strength. The recess does not remove a structural member — it fits between existing studs or is framed within them.
Can I add a niche to an existing bathroom without a full renovation?
It is possible but rarely practical. Adding a niche means cutting into the wall, exposing and re-doing the waterproofing, re-tiling the area and matching the existing tiles. The cost and disruption often approach a partial renovation anyway.