Niches

LES NICHES

A niche (same word and, surprisingly, same pronunciation in French and in English) is "a recess cut into a wall to hold an object". Niches are found in Roman architecture, in religious buildings around the world and in all times and cultures and even in the monumental walls of the Incas; they were invented by man... or were they? nature, also, has carved amazing niches in rocks and trees ; niches illuminate a bedrooms, organize a bathroom, dress up a dining room; they are found outside and indoors, decorated with detailed painted or sculpted designs, covered in tiles, and carved of stone or plaster; whether modestly simple, starkly grand, or graphically architectural, niches do double duty as ornamentation and efficient shelving.

asymmetrically off-center

free form

modestly simple

 as decorative shelf in a modern bathroom

ready-made; just pop in and you are done

multiples for big impact or maximum use

nature as architect/designer

illumination and beautification

stark minimalism, way before "minimalism"

images speedboat, robbi baba, emmett moran, lori.d, benpatio, .bill, hefhoover via flickr and JADHny

au revoir.