At its core, a shower niche is a built-in, recessed shelf made in the wall cavity of your shower, designed to hold shampoo, body wash, conditioner and other bathing essentials. If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel or seen a modern display home, you’ve likely seen a shower niche in action, they keep items off the shower floor, reduce clutter and eliminate the need for separate shelving units that can look bulky or get grimy over time.

There are two main types of shower niches to consider: prefabricated and custom-made. Prefabricated niches come in standard sizes, are quick to install and include a waterproof membrane for durability and peace of mind, ideal if you want simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Custom niches, on the other hand, are built on-site to your exact measurements, letting you tailor the size and look to your space, though they generally require more time, skill and budget.

Choosing the right size and height for your shower niche depends on what you use it for and who will be using it most, the general rule of thumb is to install it between waist and chest height and to avoid undersized spaces that won’t fit taller shampoo or body wash bottles. Niches typically come in square or rectangular shapes and are installed either horizontally or vertically, with depths around 80 mm and heights no less than about 300 mm, though you should always tailor these to your actual bottle sizes and shower layout.

While shower niches are most commonly installed in shower walls, their usefulness doesn’t end there: they can be placed over bathtubs to stash bath essentials, used as display shelves for candles or decorative items, and even installed in other wet or humid areas like saunas or outdoor pool spaces. This flexibility makes them a smart choice for integrated storage throughout many areas of the home, not just the bathroom.