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.

Noise level in the room: requirements

The kitchen, which is combined with the living room, should be quiet. In our time, these requirements can be met by using high-quality equipment: a dishwasher and a washing machine, which have a “night mode” function. But with a range hood the situation is different: even the most expensive options produce a hum.

You can zone the kitchen space, “dampening” excess noise, by installing a glass partition.

Another interesting design option is installing an opaque sliding door. This option is especially relevant if you want to protect your kitchen niche from prying eyes.

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.

Ideas for a kitchen apron

Tile splashback

The most durable and reliable option when many years, decades will pass, and it will continue to stand still. Plus, there are many types of tiles on the modern market, so any idea can be realized without difficulty.

Tempered glass apron

It is this option for finishing the apron in modern design that has become widespread. And it’s really possible to make a kitchen in a minimalist style, when a painted wall or pasted wallpaper will be visible behind the transparent glass. This is an excellent option for neoclassics. If you want to install glass with photo printing, this is more feasible, but in my practice this option is rare.

Wood effect apron

And this option is chosen by those who want to slightly diversify the asceticism of modern kitchens.
Many people finish their backsplashes with laminate, which is easy to clean and attractive. But the downside is that if water gets into the seams, the wood will swell and deteriorate. And therefore, today it is optimal to choose not laminate, but tiles that imitate wood. Lots of ideas for an apron!

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

Opening upper cabinets

Swing

These are the most popular and inexpensive options for opening the door on the upper kitchen cabinets. And I, for example, like this option the most.

Folding

For this method of opening doors, it is worth paying special attention to the quality of the fittings. And all because gas lifts gradually fail and simply cannot keep the doors open.

Folding

This is the most presentable, but at the same time expensive option for opening cabinet doors. And then with a slight movement of your hand you can open the doors of the entire cabinet. But short people should be extremely careful.

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.

In what interior styles is it used?

The kitchen niche is characteristic mainly of modern stylistic solutions, where ergonomics, practicality, compactness and functionality of each element come first.

Industrial style

The use of natural finishing is characteristic of the elements; natural and simple materials are used most often. In this case, some of the pipes can be left in sight if this corresponds to the concept of the apartment. If the rest of the walls in the room are light, you can choose, for example, a contrasting color scheme.

It is in this case that you can use a fashionable bar counter, which will allow you to properly zone the space. Some of the cabinets can be left closed, and the honor can be made in the form of shelves. Don’t forget about proper lighting, as a loft needs a lot of light and air.

Practical Scandinavian style

Slightly cool, but light and cozy, the direction is ideally combined with natural materials and natural details. There are no massive elements here, which are not characteristic of a recess, and wooden facades combine well with bright decorative items and fresh flowers. Instead of a bar counter, you can use a folding wooden table.

Minimalism

There are practically no pieces of furniture and appliances, as well as decorative items, which only take up space and require regular maintenance. The combination of textures and colors, the structure of various materials and different coatings will demonstrate the design better than any objects. But, you need to maintain a balance between conciseness and emptiness, and combine them correctly.

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.

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

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:

Use of furniture

The easiest option would be to entrust the measurements to professionals. Based on the measurements taken on site, a kitchen set will be made that smoothly “flows around” the ventilation duct and makes it invisible.

In extreme cases, it is possible to use false doors. In this case, you only need to order doors that match the color of the kitchen unit. Then decorate the resulting niche in the form of a cabinet.

If furniture replacement is not planned, it is best to hide the unwanted element behind the most voluminous kitchen item - the refrigerator.

Kitchen with successful lining of the ventilation niche Source arxip.com Working kitchen apron passing through the ventilation ledge Source roomester.ru

Interior of a small kitchen with a ventilation boxSource cstor.nn2.ru

Subtleties of redevelopment

If a kitchen without a window is planned in an area of a dark corridor or pantry, it is subject to additional requirements that affect its appearance:

In the room where kitchen equipment will be located, standards for natural light must be observed. This means that the new kitchen and living space must be connected through an open opening.
If natural light comes through the living room, the kitchen is equipped with an electric stove. If a kitchen niche is installed on the last residential floor, or if it remains next to the former kitchen space, it is allowed to install gas equipment.

How to make your kitchen cozy and practicalSource houzz.com

When planning redevelopment, it is important to consider the following issues:

Access of the hob to ventilation. A drain from the old ventilation duct will be required.
Trouble with moving utilities. You will need to calculate the slope of the pipes, and to organize a wet area under the sink, you may have to lift the floor screed and install a pump (if the riser is located far away).
Difficulties will arise for design with masking communications.

Usually communications have to be moved Source homezenith.com