Kitchen with a Niche: 180+ (Photo) Designs. How to Decorate the Interior Better?

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A kitchen with a niche is a great option for those when there is little space, but there is so much of everything. Is it really possible to leave so much free space unattended? We are ready to introduce you to all the options and nuances of accommodation. What's the best way to beat? Features of the location, homemade niches. Don't forget to read the designers' tips for proper design.

What is a niche in the kitchen?

The construction of apartment buildings was carried out according to the Khrushchev plan, which consisted of the construction of cramped apartments, but with elements of maximum convenience. The owners of the living space noted two types of niches in the kitchen - behind the sanitary mixer at the sink location and under the window sill. Each had its own function, which today interferes with the interior.

Modern kitchen with niche

Niche behind the sink

This is a recess in the wall along its entire height, located behind the sink, which does not interfere with the integrity of the space. The niches have a depth of no more than 15 cm and are intended for special cabinets where dishes are stored. Due to the small area of the room, space is saved.

Color spectrum

Modern design should be done in such popular colors as:

White, which is always relevant. It helps expand the space, filling it with space and air.
Green - emphasizes naturalness and naturalness due to freshness.
Gray - intended for aesthetic decisions. It looks original in combination with well-designed tint schemes.
Pink - helps to visually increase the dimensions of space and furniture. The panel wall does not become heavier and does not look overloaded.
White and wooden - makes it possible to fill the atmosphere with coziness, comfort and tranquility.

Decoration in calm colors

How to beat?

There are several ways to play up a niche, bringing it closer to the design and models of kitchen units. Choose a method of refining in accordance with the type of recess - in the wall or under the window sill.

In the wall

A niche in the wall is found in panel houses; it does not spoil the structure and can be useful to the owners of the apartment. You can play it in the following ways:

Covering with plasterboard is a method that does not require much thought. They get a flat wall for which they design a kitchen set.

Using a recess in the wall for oils

The niche is not always located behind the sink; it can also be seen near the window. When planning your kitchen set, place the refrigerator in a niche to save space in a small kitchen of 6 square meters. m . The sink can be moved further along the wall - installed near the window, and a refrigerator can be placed in the free space.
People who keep money at home make a safe in a niche - they separate a small space with shelves, and cover part with plasterboard. It is enough to hang kitchen cabinets on top of the safe door. You can use the cache after removing obstacles in the form of dishes or food.
Installing a cabinet - used when making kitchen cabinets narrower. Then dishes for constant use are stored in the cabinet above the sink - it is pre-made deeper, taking into account the wall recess.
Installation of small household appliances - a microwave oven is placed on a shelf, a cabinet is made for other small appliances. Apartment owners hang a small TV in a niche on a moving bracket.

Convenient place to store souvenirs

These are simple and interesting ways to decorate a wall niche in the kitchen. When choosing a method, pay attention to preferences.

Moving the sink closer to the window opening

It’s good and convenient when a pencil case or refrigerator is installed in a niche, and the sink is moved closer to the window. This option will require all communications, but it’s worth it!

Advice! A good option would be to combine a table top with a window sill. Instead of a plastic window sill, a tabletop is installed. This creates an unusual interior and complements the workplace. This layout looks good in corner kitchens.

Successful combination of the window opening with the working surface

Design tips

Designers look at the use of niches from a creative point of view and recommend the following ways to improve niches:

Use the niche behind the sink to store dishes, placing a drying rack and decorative shelves in it. This method solves the storage problem if the design of the kitchen unit does not include upper cabinets.
A wall niche is used for decorative shelves, where decor is then placed - figurines, pots, napkin stands.

Creative design solution

The niche under the window sill is decorated with open shelves, after removing all the old wooden parts. Gift sets and other kitchen paraphernalia for festive occasions are placed here.
An interesting and unusual decoration option is to decorate the “Khrushchev refrigerator” into a bar. To do this, remove the cabinet, place a new structure with shelves (can be made of plastic) and additional lighting in the resulting void. Cover the new cabinet with glass doors.

Decorating niches in the kitchen in small and panel apartments is a pleasure. You don’t have to preserve their original functionality and show your imagination.

Classic style

Homemade niches

While the owners of apartments in panel buildings are racking their brains on how to hide the “ugliness,” the owners of spacious areas are specially creating niches. It is not entirely clear to them what they will store in the resulting voids. Designers offer the following solutions:

If a niche is made on the wall where the sink and gas stove are located, use the tips given above.
A niche is made under the window sill, using it for the kitchen countertop, protruding it into the room. A trash can, a folding children's table, and an additional heating device are placed in the resulting void.
If there is a desire to make niches on the free side, use drywall and the formed design of the room - it is important to understand the functionality of the resulting voids.

Convenient built-in shelf above the stove

The last option is well-known, since this is done with sufficient space in the kitchen, which is impossible to do in panel houses. The erected plasterboard wall takes away useful space, which must be compensated for by the useful use of niches.

Here designers advise paying attention to the chosen style:

avant-garde style, content-porary allows for the arrangement of paintings in appropriate themes, vases and other details, but not in large quantities;
Empire, Baroque, Art Nouveau, Provence - only porcelain figurines, festive tableware is allowed;
art deco – lighting is required for each niche and no more than 2 figurines;
classicism - dishes with minimal decor but expensive framing are placed in niches;
minimalism - 2 small niches on the entire wall in which vases, napkin holders and other useful paraphernalia are placed;
eco-style - pots with fresh flowers.

A good place for candles to create a cozy atmosphere

High-tech, Scandinavian, loft, country styles do not support the above idea. You should not pile up the presented style if the basics of design do not allow it.

Style selection

For the design of a kitchen studio, you can choose any style. The exception will be the traditional classical movements with elements of Baroque or Rococo. Here you should give preference to modern classics, which are especially relevant today, or the art deco style.

Kitchen studio in art deco style

Loft is an ideal style for a studio, since it originally originated in such an open and partition-free space.

Minimalism will make the studio kitchen visually even more spacious, which will be especially important for a small apartment.

Provence can be used in the design of a country studio in a private house or country house.

Scandinavian style is well suited for small studios with south-facing windows. A cool white color scheme will make the space visually more spacious and balance out the excess of daylight.

Modern interpretation

Modern projects of apartment buildings involve saving space by using kitchen niches. These are special recesses in the rooms where water supply communications and gas equipment are located (can be replaced with electric stoves). The recesses are intended for mounting kitchen units; the kitchen does not have a dining area.

Unusual kitchen design with stone

Among the positive aspects are:

space saving - the recess and the adjacent free zone occupy no more than 5 square meters. m.;
visual increase in space - being in the living room or hallway contributes to the design of wider rooms;
the ability to communicate with guests - this is possible when placing a kitchen unit in the living room;
using the kitchen as an auxiliary way to decorate the interior of the living room - the interesting design of the facades and wall panels complements the design of the style used.

Niche as a highlight of the interior

Such a niche kitchen has negative factors:

smells and sounds during cooking will go into the living room and other rooms, which negatively affects the comfort of the residents;
the need to maintain order on work surfaces - there should not be many appliances in the kitchen, dirty dishes are not allowed in the sink;
textiles in the interior must correspond to the given style - it is important to maintain consistency in the kitchen and living room.

Advice To eliminate shortcomings, it is recommended to install a kitchen niche in a wardrobe or other small room. And to hide possible mess in the kitchen, use folding doors - horizontal or vertical, which can be replaced with compartment doors.

Lighting installation principles

Spotlights and spotlights are installed on the ceiling if the kitchen unit is located inside the recess. They help distribute light evenly along the entire perimeter of the niche.

Additionally, LED strips illuminate the work area. They are installed on the bottom of hanging cabinets. This way the recessed niche becomes lighter and visually appears more spacious.

Lighting inside the kitchen niche

Decorative niches are characterized by perimeter lighting. A floating effect appears; the shelf or recess looks as if it is detached from the main wall on which it is located.

Perimeter lighting

Floating effect option

How to properly organize niche lighting:

A shelf inside a niche can be complemented with wallpaper or a pattern on a vertical surface. In this case, backlighting is required so that the image is visible and looks more voluminous.
In a small kitchen, porcelain, crystal or glass illuminated inside a niche look good. They create a reflective effect and fill the kitchen with light.

Illuminated shelves with crystal and porcelain

The brightness of lighting fixtures should be moderate, not brighter than the rest of the lighting in the room.
Color may vary depending on decor style. The best option is one that matches the general light. Colored lamps can also be used to create the desired atmosphere in the kitchen.

Colored backlight

Features of the location of niches in different rooms of the apartment

Familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of the location of the niche in different rooms.

In the living room

Combining a kitchen and living room is the most famous option, since here the dining area fits perfectly into the interior. A full-fledged dining group for 6-8 people is used for it. Location features include:

the kitchen set is placed along one wall so as not to “eat up” the space with corner structures;
facades and their shade must correspond to the chosen style of the entire room;
combining a kitchen and a living room is appropriate in avant-garde, country, loft, minimalism, Scandinavian style, and hi-tech styles.

In black and white

If you want to divide the space, use “airy” partitions - transparent shelves, a bar counter, a blank decorative wall half the height of the ceilings, a screen.

In the hall

In the hallway, the location of a niche is appropriate only in certain situations - if you have a small studio apartment. The following rules are followed here:

placing a dining group in the hallway is impossible due to the lack of sufficient space;
the kitchen set is made in the style of minimalism, hi-tech or avant-garde;
handles are not installed on the facades - a closer device is used to open and close cabinets;
the color matches the shade of the hallway design;
place the refrigerator and kitchen units on the same level - large appliances are not allowed to “bulge out”.

Corner kitchen with niche

To avoid the last problem, instead of a standard refrigerator, install an internal model in a cabinet. It is small in size, so it saves additional space in the apartment.

Design and decoration

Provided that the kitchen niche is not completely covered with furniture, it should be beautifully decorated. If the housewife is not a fan of colorful tones, the room should be decorated in a calm color scheme with the walls. They can be finished with drywall and painted.

The niche can be made in a compatible tone with the one that is present on the photo wallpaper or other places in the kitchen design.

When using different shades, you should use only tones that are compatible with each other. It is possible to highlight a niche by painting it in a light color compared to the surrounding shades on the walls.

It is allowed to decorate the room with dark colors; the main background should be contrasting.

It is appropriate to use dark colors for a niche

A successful technique for highlighting a zone is to stick wallpaper or a picture on the wall.

Bright juicy fragments will perfectly emphasize the arrangement of all furniture elements.

Color spectrum

With bar counter

The bar counter is an elegant extension of the work area, adding liveliness and style to the interior. There are many different types of racks, for example, U-shaped, semicircular, retractable and other models, which allow you not only to decorate a room and become its interior addition, but also to provide a fairly convenient design solution for small and cramped kitchens.

Without window

A recess without a window may be formed as a result of redevelopment. To ensure that the kitchen space does not look gloomy and dark, its design should be approached with special care. For example, you can decorate this space in lighter shades that reflect and enhance light well, dilute it with bright accents, or give the interior shiny and glossy surfaces that compensate for the lack of lighting and give the atmosphere a certain airiness.

Features of the design of a small kitchen niche

A small niche kitchen should not only be stylish and beautiful, but also, first of all, comfortable. To decorate it, light colors and warm shades are used, visually expanding the walls. Furniture that harmonizes with the wall decoration will make the room much larger.

Such a small space should not be overloaded with unnecessary objects and small details; it would be better to leave only the necessary equipment and necessary furniture in a small kitchen niche.

Stylish lighting and lighting ideas

Thanks to backlighting and other high-quality lighting, which can be located both above and on the sides, it is possible to visually expand the space, making it much lighter and more comfortable, give the recess a certain shade and turn it into a source that emits a pleasant and muted light in the evening. .

The photo shows a kitchen in a niche with lighting in the interior of a modern studio apartment.

Lighting is a fairly common and very stylish decorative technique that allows you not only to unusually decorate a kitchen niche and bring it to the fore, but also to qualitatively illuminate objects located in the recess.

Recommendations for furniture arrangement

The ease of use of a kitchenette will depend on how it is furnished: