That was my initial thought but the layout of our shower wouldn't work with shelves or we'd lose our bench. We only have one corner that is tile, all the rest is glass so it's a bit tricky. I'm not keen on metal holders either, they always get gross and I end up tossing them.

Could you do a longer linear ledge style

No unfortunately the way the plumbing runs a niche is the only option. The other tiled wall is exterior so we were advised not to add anything there. Here's a recent picture, doesn't exactly show the whole shower though.

Are you saying you can't do a ledge on an exterior wall? Not sure I understand. We're doing a ledge precisely because we're dealing with an exterior wall and can't put a niche in it, and the ledge doesn't interfere with our plumbing at all. It's just built out from the wall.

Yes I'm confused too .. if the niche/ledge is to go on that "top" most wall that has framing & plumbing in it, then you just build out the 4" or so from that wall to create the ledge. Given that it encroaches on the long dimension, there should be space...

The ledge is a great idea. Slope the top and it’s a cinch to keep clean. It doesn’t need to be this deep.

Thanks for the input but not crazy about the look of a ledge. I meant a niche shouldn't go in an exterior wall per our tile guy. I'm mainly wanting feedback on shelf material to divide a taller niche space as I outlined in my original post: stone, glass or tile. That is the best option for our layout that wouldn't remove floorspace or inhibit the use of our corner seat.

no matter the kind of glass, having it in a shower freaks me out.

Perhaps a small, quarter circle shelf in a corner. Plain white, use to place product for shower and remove after.

Just curious, since most of these replies are just suggestions for alternatives to using a niche: what are the downsides to a niche since they're not being recommended?

Nix the niches please.

Explanations are more helpful if you care to elaborate?

Are you putting in a vanity with a countertop? If so, what is the countertop material? If it's not stone, is it quartz or solid surface? Use that, if it is. Obviously you can't match the shelf to a wood or laminate countertop.

I think a plain white marble slab would look fine and go perfectly with your tile....it would just blend right in. Just seal it well.

Another option would be to have one long niche rather than a taller one with a shelf. Is your tile guy using one of those prefab inserts to tile over? They limit shape and size, so it works out better to have them frame out a custom size.

Thanks nidnay, he's framing it himself. Due to space issues from the plumbing a tall one is the only option. Wonder what a little piece of marble would run?

That have tons of remnants at stone yards.

You could also space your niches out a bit so you wouldn’t even need a glass shelf...

1 - New Build in Process... · More Info

I like my niche, so there! In my small shower it provides much needed storage without giving up precious space. I don't find it difficult to clean so not sure what's to hate about them. Mine is tiled with the same plain tile as the rest of the shower. I don't have a shelf in it, though, just a single niche to hold a few products. I don't see a problem with a thick glass shelf. I have a glass shelf above the toilet and it does read greenish but I find that beautiful. Good luck with your project.

Thanks einportlandor!

I had a similar conundrum when I remodeled our bath 5 years ago. I ran the subway into the niche and used a very light piece of stone from a tile outlet my tile isn’t white white. It’s historical white (avalon)

i suppose it’s marble but it is pretty super light gray with a white striation. I never thought about it before but the grey cast to the marble looks similar to the grout which is why I think it works. Sorry the caulk is a little sloppy at the top I have never noticed it until I took this pic!

I don’t have any other marble in this bathroom, the floor is porcelain mosaic.

Very nice kats737, that's similar to the look in my bathroom. I'm going up look into stone options, thanks!

"Explanations are more helpful if you care to elaborate?"

Wade through the horrific niches on the pages here. It takes a very skilled tile setter to pull off a good looking niche. They are rare and expensive these days and have lots of phony imitators.

Tile the walls simply. Mount shelves with drainage. Easy to build and clean; much less math.

I would do a white quartz piece or a marble/quartzite piece that blended well with the tile. Most companies who do counter installs have scraps on their yard that they sell for cheap. Good luck!

In the 2 showers where we did white subway tile, we got a remnant of white quartz for pretty cheap, cash and carry. The installer used that remnant for all the horizontal surfaces: the shower curb, bottom of niches, niche shelves, top of pony wall and window sill.

I like my niches too!

I've had a glass shelf in my niche since 2003. Works great. Looks pretty. I like Niches.

I don’t have a dividing shelf in my niche...but I used the same subway tile as in the rest of my shower. Looks fine, not hard to clean, and very functional. I had no idea some people feel so passionately against them...that‘s hilarious!

I didn't realize they brought such strong opinions either, I did do some research after seeing these replies and the only big negative I see is issues when they're improperly built and waterproofed. I think that's the case with a tile shower as a whole. Not an issue in my case. I also saw the argument that ones that are too small aren't functional (duh), and the whole accent tile niche look is dated (subjective but okay). Thanks for everyone's input!

The shelves in my niche are made from my countertop material, they used the sink cutout to fashion the shelves, no extra material was required.

Post a picture of your bathroom so far if you can. I wouldn’t do glass either, maybe a piece of (simple) quartz? What are your counters?

I posted it higher up, but here it is again. Not the best picture but the floors were just installed so we couldn't walk in. The shower is standard white 3x6 tile, there will also be 4 ft high wall tile around the whole bathroom in the same 3x6 ceramic. All fixtures are chrome. Sinks are console sinks so no stone or other counter material. There will be a freestanding pedestal tub to the front of the shower. Wall color is as shown in the picture but it gets another coat.

The only stone in the house is the kitchen, there are white quartz counters. They look a bit like terrazzo but with little contrast between the background and chips (not sure of the technical term lol).

A well-detailed niche is nice! Ideally, you can locate it where it's out of view and/or out of the spray. But either way, it's nice to have a place to park some bottles. Definitely do solid surface on the base and the shelf. I prefer stone on sides and top too. Good luck.

We love our niche. I’d have 50 products sitting in our bench or floor; I’ll take the niche all day long

Beautiful nycish :)