Large, empty walls in a room can be monotonous. A dash of a bright colour
or space sometimes can add pizazz. Sometimes people transform one of
the walls in a room into a feature wall by using texture paint or displaying a
large painting. Creating niches or recesses to enhance the aesthetics of a
wall is an emerging concept. You might have seen them in hotels or art
galleries, but it is fast becoming popular in residences too.
A niche, also referred to as an alcove, is at least a 4.5 inch deep cutout in a
wall that is around nine inches thick. Niche can have different sizes and
shapes, but mostly they are rectangle or square. Often their length and
breadth of the niche is left to the choice of the house owner. “Niches are
mostly made in houses as nine-inch thick walls are more commonly found
in houses than apartments. A niche by itself gives relief to the monotony of a
wall,” said Dameem Ansari, principal architect, Ansari Associates Architects
and Interior Designers.
However, people try to make the space more interesting by using a
contrasting texture paint or even emulsion paint, cladding the space
with marble, wall paper, glass or wood.
“Mostly there’s concealed lighting inside a niche. It can be left as such with
just the lighting or can be used to place a flower vase, a decorative article, a
small internal plant or a painting inside. Multi-colour LED lights are also
used inside so as to change the mood of the room when desired,” he said.
A niche is generally created in the living room or dining space where the
guests are received. However, it can be made in any room depending upon
the thickness of the wall. There can be niches for keeping idols in the pooja
room and the entire pooja room itself can be set in a niche.
In apartments with thinner walls, a shallow recess is made in the wall and a
protruding wooden frame is fixed on it to give depth. “A false wall can also
be made out of gypsum board and fixed on the existing one. A niche can be
created on this wall. Fixing a gypsum wall of four inches thick can cost
around Rs 200 per sq ft,” he said.
According to Ansari, niche is a traditional concept. In ancient times when
there was no electricity available, niches were made in each wall of the
house to place the lamp. If it had a utilitarian purpose in those times, now it
is mainly used for decorative purposes.
A niche can be made during the construction stage after the plastering is
done. Provision for concealed lighting can be made at this point. However,
even after the construction is over one can plan a niche but the lighting
arrangement needs to be taken care
Niches can be made in offices too where they hold books, awards or
citations.
By Sangeetha.G,
Based on Interview of Mr. Dameem Ansari Published in Financial Chronicles.
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