Your Guide to a Gorgeous Tile Shower Niche

Your shower design holds unique potential to make your bathroom outstanding when you integrate a shower niche as a space for shampoos, soaps, and sundries — or simply as an architectural detail.

Whether incorporating a single shower niche shape, a niche with multi compartments, or even multiple niches, hygienic and versatile ceramic tile offers a wide variety of colors, shapes, textures, layouts, and designs to match fashion with the function of this shower essential.

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What Is a Shower Niche?

A shower niche is an installation in your shower wall that gives you convenient space-saving storage, or it can be a recessed space for a design feature. Framing a shower niche with tile or adding a tile inlay design, back panel, accent, or specific layout pattern can elevate your entire bathroom. So much personality can be captured in this small area!

Considerations for a Shower Niche Design

The size and shape of your shower, as well as the number and placement of fixtures, influence the size, shape, number, and placement of niches you might incorporate.

Will you use a preformed shower niche or incorporate a frame that is tile-ready? Preformed units come in multiple sizes and niche configurations. A niche installation frame gives you an installation base for using coordinating or contrasting tile within the niche area.
What are your design preferences? Rectangles and squares (horizontal or vertical) are typical. Alternatively, opt for an innovative niche, such as an arched niche or a stacked niche in different sizes, or even multiple niches.
Where would a shower niche best fit? Shower niche placement is generally up to your personal preferences.

Pro tip: A niche tends to be most efficient where your height and reach meet for the best accessibility. Keep in mind the different needs of everyone who might use the shower.

Shower Niche Shapes

Squares and rectangles are your go-to niche shapes, lending themselves to an array of size and configuration options. Arches and custom shapes can elevate the niche to being a unique architectural detail and focal point of your bathroom.

Square

This single square shower niche in classic marble-look tile is the definition of elegant simplicity.

Rectangle

Warm beige stone-look large subway tile flows effortlessly from this spacious rectangular shower niche onto the walls and floor. The uniform tile layout and color expertly tie together an ample bathroom space.

Arch

How stately is this shower niche, crowned with an arch? Natural white tile continues into each niche, with the lower niche abutting the shower’s blue-and-gray horizontal mosaic accent stripe. The meticulous tiling on the inner arch is what truly distinguishes this niche for a custom design!

Single

This single shower niche adds a dash of functional style to an already-extraordinary space. The elegant warm gray stone-look tile of the walls and niche is accented by an earth-toned tile vertical mosaic feature in one corner of the shower and on the curved shower bench.

Large

Linen-look ivory-white tile sits with precision in this large shower niche and continues onto the floor. Smooth white tile in the same layout lines the adjacent walls, creating a subtle shift in design.

Extra-Large

Sumptuous black marble-look tile forms this extra-spacious shower niche, continuing onto the wall and ceiling. White veining in bright bolts complements the white tile walls and floor. Going big and bold makes an exquisite statement in this open-concept bathroom!

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Wall-to-Wall

Marble-look hexagon tile makes a gorgeous honeycomb as the back panel of this wall-to-wall shower niche. White-and-gray marble-look tile walls and floor give this luxurious shower defined elegance.

Stacked

A horizontal stacked subway tile layout surrounds stacked niches. Blue-and-green mosaic tile creates a striking back panel, accentuating and elongating the niches. The color pop contrasts with the gently undulating ivory tiles of the shower walls. Slim metal profiles demurely frame this niche duo and define spaces for soaps and shampoos.

Multiple

These two stacked shower niches create personalized storage space in this custom shower. Chocolate-brown wood-look tile flows from the walls into the niches, designed for ultimate, personalized function.

Corner

For a twist on shower niche placement, look no further than a tile corner shower niche! Here, mosaic tile in natural hues surrounds each niche and serves as its back panel. Meanwhile, the stone-look tile frame creates a subtle contrast, matching the walls and floor.

Shower Niche Designs

Elevate your shower niche with tile designs that exhilarate your space, from a continuing style to a dramatic contrast.

Matching

We love the stunning simplicity of this peachy tile shower niche! This square tile sits in a grid pattern within the niche as well as on the shower walls.

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Contrasting

Penny round tile backs this classic shower niche, which is framed with smooth white profiles. This niche is a stark contrast to the lemon-yellow tiles of the shower walls by picking up the shower’s floor pattern. Every day is sunny in this shower space!

Continuing Pattern

Navy blue herringbone tile steals the show in this shower niche. It’s a stunning continuation of the herringbone tile shower walls, where the same navy tile transitions to bright white tile via a random design.

Another continuing tile example is beautifully shown here as the pattern seamlessly continues from the shower walls through the niche in winding paths of tiger’s eye and jade-look mosaic tile. We feel a mix of ultra-modern design flourished with neo Greco-Roman inspiration. Unforgettable!

Coordinating Pattern

Variegated green tile sits in a single row inside this horizontal shower niche. The herringbone tile shower walls of alternating green and white create a lively stripe effect.

Mixed Patterns

This vertical shower niche’s black-and-white patterned tiles, reminiscent of playing card symbols, are juxtaposed with deep teal tile shower walls, while the black profile frame adds to the niche’s distinctive style.

Framed

Creamy marble-look tile frames the sides of this shower niche, hosting self-care practicality with a back panel mirror.

Panel-Backed

This shower niche makes a grand statement with marble-look tile as its back panel and framing, while the shower walls boast soft-edged diamond tile in a harmonious palette.

Window

Clean white marble-look tile frames this shower niche, which also serves as a window. The stream of natural light highlights the walls and the mosaic tile shower floor. This luminous shower window niche is a breath of fresh air.

Accent

Dial up your shower niche tile designs with ceramic tile accents! These stacked niches impress with stone-look square grid tile in rustic hues. The coup de grâce is a mosaic tile accent stripe aligned with the lower niche. Staggered diamond insets top off this look with quiet bursts of ivory, pastel yellow, and pale pink.

Lighted

How’s this for chic minimalism? Metal profiles frame this lighted shower niche, surrounded by slate-look tile shower walls. The niche lighting highlights the space with both drama and practicality. We love how the niche’s height sits perfectly inside one wall tile — absolute craftsmanship!

Shower Niche Styles

A tile shower niche helps harmonize your bathroom’s style. You’ll find shapes and designs that lead to sophisticated spaces in your shower while complementing your home’s unifying aesthetic.

Modernist

Large-format gray tile comprises the back and sides of this deep horizontal shower niche, matching the surrounding matte gray tile walls. The room’s modernist large slab squares and chic angles neatly contrast with the curved bathtub and lighting fixtures.

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Classic

You can always go classic with your shower niche, and this is a fine example. White marble-look tile lines a single recessed shower niche, quietly catching the eye with silver-gray veining. Durability meets accessibility and storage practicality.

Minimalist

Slate-gray stone-look tile creates clean lines in this shower, while metal profiles frame the niche and coordinate with a metal shower shelf for simple style.

Decorative

Black, white, and cream floral-patterned tile becomes this bathroom’s focal point. The niche’s height and arch add luxury and individuality, particularly with the distinguished lion’s-head spout in this dreamy, spa-like space.

Industrialist

Don’t you love this touch of industrialism in the shower? This large niche hosts a vertical mosaic accent running parallel in floor-to-ceiling lines. The swirling cream and gray hues blend beautifully between the mosaic tiles and the surrounding large square grid tiles.

Glamor

An ebony-black marble-look niche with a shelf is striking in this glamorous mosaic shower. Breathtaking black-and-white picket tile on the shower walls both contrasts with and complements the niche’s deep, luxurious vibe.

Love Your Shower Niche Every Time You Enter the Bathroom

A well-installed shower niche, designed for style and purpose, is your bathroom’s unexpected hero. Ceramic tile‘s expansive options of color, shape, size, and texture allow you to match any personal design aesthetic for a one-of-a-kind shower niche design.

For more shower niche ideas, visit our Pinterest collection and curated design gallery.

What Is a Shower Niche?

Considerations for a Shower Niche Design