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A target recess in the wall (alcove) can be used to accommodate a comfortable sleeping area. The presence of a niche will complicate the process of arranging the room, but will create a cozy atmosphere.
Advantages and disadvantages
Main advantages and disadvantages.
| pros | Minuses |
| When constructing a niche, it turns out to create a kind of partition and thereby visually divide the space into two separate rooms. | An alcove that is too deep without a window disrupts the natural ventilation of the sleeping area. |
| This design allows you to significantly save space and create additional storage areas. | The recess requires additional lighting. |
| Inside the recess, most often there is enough space to accommodate not only a bed, but also a closet, bookshelves, a TV and even a dressing room. | Limited selection of furniture, due to the clear length and width of the structure. |
| According to Feng Shui, it is not recommended to place the bed in any recesses. | |
| Using a screen you can completely isolate the bed area from the rest of the room. | If the bed is located closely in a niche without a passage, this can significantly interfere with the ability to make the bed freely. |
Rack
This partition clearly delineates the separation of zones, but at the same time allows light to pass through and does not weigh down the space too much. And, of course, it adds everyone’s favorite storage spaces! It is better to leave some shelves of such a rack empty or fill them with transparent objects; as an option, purchase a low rack or cabinet. Instead of a shelving unit, there may be a massive cabinet - but you need more light and air, don’t you?
Niche options
There are several varieties.
In the wall
A niche made of plasterboard in the wall allows you not only to enliven the space, effectively decorate and play up the place with the bed, but also to make the room much more functional, visually expand its boundaries and add depth. Such a recess is quite often decorated using various mirror, glass surfaces, wallpaper, decorative plaster, laminate, soft panels and other materials.
The photo shows the bedroom interior and a bed in a plasterboard niche decorated with wallpaper.
Niche made of cabinets
This design looks very elegant and laconic. Cabinets with their geometry favorably emphasize the sleeping area, create an additional portal around it and allow you to organize a convenient storage system.
Material
Bedroom niches are usually made of plasterboard. This material has many advantages: it is very affordable, easy to install and is an environmentally friendly, safe material that can be used in residential areas without any restrictions.
Drywall is attached to a metal profile, so structures made from this material are very durable.
Types of beds
There are the following types.
Podium bed
A podium ledge or a tray with a mattress has a truly stylish, beautiful and original look and provides the opportunity to create a certain aesthetic effect in the room. However, monolithic podiums that are too high are only suitable for large and spacious rooms.
The photo shows a bedroom and a niche with a bed on a podium equipped with drawers.
Bunk bed
The two-story model in a well-designed and beautifully decorated alcove is an ergonomic and convenient place that allows you to save the usable space in the room as efficiently as possible.
Cot
A small crib fits perfectly into a recess, which is often complemented by beautiful curtains, night lighting or shelves where various toys can be placed.
Folding or lifting
A folding bed, vertical or horizontal, completely deprives the interior of congestion and provides maximum comfort and space saving. Due to the outer side of the hidden structure, the color matches the surrounding finish, this transformer model, when assembled, blends harmoniously with the surface of the wall or cabinet.
The photo shows the interior of a studio apartment and a folding bed in a wooden niche.
Niche design and decoration ideas
Interesting design and decoration options.
Backlight
Quite often, this recess is decorated using various lighting fixtures, for example, wall lamps, sconces, built-in spotlights or an LED strip that gives the niche a certain color, this allows you to create more comfortable lighting in the room.
With cabinets
An alcove, with built-in and spacious wardrobes, with a facade that matches the color of the wall decoration, creates a separate secluded area and excludes unnecessary elements from the interior.
With curtains
This decorative solution is the simplest; a curtain ensemble not only significantly decorates the decor, but also perfectly hides the sleeping area from prying eyes and protects from dust.
In the photo there is a niche with a bed, decorated with light curtains in a girl’s nursery.
Photo wallpaper
Such a static architectural element as a recess can be emphasized in an original way with the help of photo wallpaper, this will allow you to create certain accents in the interior, turn a niche into a dominant feature and give it volume.
Decor elements
Due to the interesting design of the visible wall in the alcove, in the form of mirrors, thematic paintings or other decor, it is possible to set the atmosphere a special mood and give the space visual depth.
Partitions
If the wall between the room and the kitchen in a small apartment is not load-bearing, it is often demolished. In this case, the sleeping place is determined in the far diagonal direction in relation to the kitchen.
For fencing, an interesting partition is built - a shelving unit made of plasterboard, and installed perpendicular to the long wall. If it is a studio apartment, the partition is thicker. In a room without demolishing the wall, the partition is made thin and elegant.
Such partitions are built to the ceiling or made at different heights, stepped, which create the appearance of space. The distinctive interior of the zones is created with the help of different wallpapers or colors. Which side to put the bed on and where the living room is is a personal choice.
Cabinets or sliding panels are also used as partitions.
Location of the niche in the apartment
Popular accommodation options:
- In the corner. The corner location is considered not only very convenient, ergonomic and creates a special harmony and comfort in the room, but also quite stylish and original.
- Near the window. Placement near a window provides excellent natural light for the sleeping area, which contributes to a cheerful awakening in the morning.
The photo shows a children's room and a narrow niche with a bed located near the window.
Sliding doors
When open, sliding doors will only mark the boundaries of zones, but when closed they will completely create the feeling of two different rooms: sounds and smells will be muffled, as will light, if the doors are not transparent.
Photo of a bed in the interior of a room
Interesting photo examples.
In the bedroom
A niche located at the head of the bed is a fairly common interior design solution for the bedroom; it can have a variety of shapes, for example, square, round or semicircular. Thanks to modern technologies, a structure that is completely retracted into a recess is now often installed in this room.
The photo shows a modern bedroom and a double bed in a niche made of wardrobes.
In the children's room
With the help of an alcove with a sleeping place, it turns out that you can not only create a truly cozy and extraordinary design in a child’s room or a teenager’s room, but also create a full-fledged corner for sleeping, relaxing or reading books.
In the living room
For a living room where the whole family gathers, a neat and comfortable placement of the bed in a recess is considered a very common design technique that rationalizes usable space. To prevent the alcove from looking like a sleeping area, it can be combined with a shelving unit or wardrobe. In addition, single or semi-bed models can also be an alternative to a sofa.
In a studio
A sleeping area in a niche in the form of a podium structure with storage space, a folding model or a loft-type bed will significantly save space in the studio and make its layout much more interesting.
In the attic niche
Thanks to a well-designed niche with a bed, it is possible to use the available space as efficiently as possible, giving the attic room special neatness and integrity to the interior.
The photo shows a children's room in the attic with a bunk bed located in a niche.
Lighting
Built-in lighting will effectively decorate a niche in the bedroom. LED strips installed around the perimeter of the recess, in tandem with the mirrored walls of the niche, will create an incredible effect of lightness and weightlessness. The main thing is not to get carried away with too bright, pulsating lighting. The glow should be soft, calm and conducive to relaxation.
Spotlights in a niche will look no less interesting. If niche lighting is not provided, then you can place lamps on high legs at the head of the bed.
Photo of design in a one-room apartment
For a family who lives in a one-room apartment, this zoning option will be an ideal option. A bed located in a niche can become a separate bedroom for parents or an independent resting place for a child.
In the photo there is a bed on a podium in a recess in the interior of a one-room apartment.
A sleeping place in a compactly equipped alcove allows you to significantly free up space in the room and thoughtfully use its square meters.
The photo shows the interior of a one-room apartment with a bed placed in a niche.
In addition, using a bed with drawers in which you can hide bedding or things, you can not only save space and avoid buying a linen chest of drawers or other furniture, but also maintain ergonomics and comfort in the space.
Glass walls
This is a good way if you want a separate bedroom, but there is not enough window for it. If you surround the bed with glass walls, it will reliably block sounds and smells. Complete the cube with curtains that can be drawn at night or in front of guests, and the room is ready!
Examples of use in different styles
By design standards and appearance, a solution such as an alcove with a sleeping place is an ideal option that will fit into any style trends:
- Loft.
- Modern.
- Classic.
- Scandinavian.
- Provence.
The photo shows a bed in a niche decorated with shelves in a Scandinavian-style studio interior.
A niche with a bed, designed in accordance with the style of the entire interior, brings the necessary accents to the decor and makes its design more multifaceted.
Screen
The simplest and fastest temporary partition is a screen. Hides the bed from prying eyes and partially blocks the light. When needed, I put it up; when not needed, I folded it and put it away. Moreover, screens can be very beautiful and can become a treasure of the interior. Admire the screens: “Behind the veil of secrecy: screens in the interior.”
