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Remodeling Bathrooms

What are your feelings on an off-center shower niche?

last year

We planned for a centered shower niche on the back wall, but after opening up the walls there's plumbing running down the middle of the wall. Our contractor is asking how we feel about moving the niche closer to the corner. What are your thoughts on that?

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Comments (7)

palimpsest
last year
As long as they are distinctly off-center rather than looking like a near miss, I don't think its a problem.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
While you've got the wall open, see if the plumbing inspector would let you offset that vent with some 45s please.

I'm not a niche fan. Not that practical and few turn out well in relationship to the tile job.
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Thanks for all the replies! I measure our shampoo bottles, the tallest is currently 12 inches, but we do sometimes buy form Costco, so maybe allowing that 16 inch someone mentioned is best. Bill, what are the dimensions on your middle one? It looks fairly tall/narrow, as do igloochic's. I think we'll end up that way, as we'll probably be limited to the 13 inches wide between studs. I think I like the 22-inch tall idea, with 18 in for bottles, an inch for the shelf itself, and then 3 inches for soap, razors, other short items. Anyone see issues with 13 by 22 inch size? It may look a little tall and narrow, and hopefully the 3 inch height is tall enough for short stuff? And good thought to stay on top of them doing it! The designer our contractor has on staff will draw it up for us, including shelf, so hopefully it's then their fault if they install it wrong (and even more hopefully, they'll do it right the first time!)
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Comments (50)
Thank you for posting that example! I was just checking in on this thread hoping to see an example of where I might locate it on a tub/shower wall in terms of height since I will want to access it while lying down as well as while standing. Not a big deal (obviously!!!) but I want it to look right and to function right. I'm sure he is going to lose it on me. I have found all of this quite stressful at a time when work is also quite stressful. Oh well. This, along with a couple of the bathroom rated command hooks for loofahs and we should be all good for storage sice none of my bottles are more than 13 inches tall. I was not thinking quite clearly yesterday when I went to the Tile Shop. I wonder if he will also charge me $200 for tiling the little one? I hope not. He really seems lacking in creativity and a desire to do anything beyond what he "has seen" or certainly to do what I want; first on today's agenda will be me telling him that we are going to find a way to recess a medicine cabinet in a structural wall (after all it does support only the roof, not another whole story). He told me yesterday it would be impossible to do so. I really think he usually just doesn't want to do the work or put in the effort and hopes I will just take him at his word if he seems unpleasant enough to deal with. What s smart strategy! It really is not reflected in his other AL reviews but maybe they just took it as him being a seasoned authority. I probably should remind him I am an Angie's list member.
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Hi Cs -- As I said on your other thread, I think offset and window-adjacent sinks can be great for an urban/less-private kitchen because the peripheral views often beat the direct ones! Here are a few from the Houzz "small kitchen" files to get things started:
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The top looks awkwardly top heavy. This is due to both the darker color and the top extending beyond the actual fire place. The lower part should be the heaviest part of the fireplace, at least visually. What can you strip away from the upper half? The trim work at the top and the lower belt line would be good places to start.
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palimpsest
last year
I am also not a huge fan of niches, and the ones I have occasional designed have been a bit high and always off center, mostly to get them out of the direct spray of the shower head. Two of my showers have shelves instead, the third has a niche and one of the other problems with it, is that the slight pitch of the bottom of it to shed water also allows things like a newer bar of soap slowly slide and fall out of it.

I agree with Joseph that the technical fabrication and waterproofing as well as how it fits in with the tile layout are regularly posted problems in these forums.
Jon Anand
Original Author
last year
I did see all the points in other discussions about niches. Because it's a small shower we didn't want to lose floor space with shelves. This isn't a regularly used shower but it is the main toilet for guests so we just want it to look nice.
mainenell
last year
A double decker between those two studs on the left would look very nice.
cwcf185
last year
last modified: last year
I don't see a problem with the niche being intentionally off-center. But I may be biased as I just put in two of them, both intentionally off-center.
3onthetree
last year
Many have a tendency to force symmetry regardless of anything. What is even more important as design criteria than symmetry is balance and proportion, and for a niche an exquisite design detail, though difficult, is that it follows the size of tile (a compromise is it relates to the size, e.g. midpoint).

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