What is a niche for a bed in the wall - features of the location in the apartment

Not everyone knows the name of a niche in the wall for a bed, although many times they have come across its design. The second name for such a niche is alcove. Originally, the term meant any sleeping room or even a simple bed, separated from the rest of the house by a curtain. But over time, only a functional recess in the wall for a bed, sofa or other furniture began to be called an alcove.

What is a niche for a bed in the wall

The bed niche can be of any size. It is determined by the structural characteristics of the room. In typical odnushki such alcoves can take up a lot of space, allowing you to equip a spacious sleeping area with a bed and bedside tables.

A niche makes it possible to stylishly and effectively zone a room and make it more comfortable. An alcove will be appropriate both in a one-room and in a multi-room apartment, since it helps to rationally organize a sleeping place, regardless of the style of the interior of the house. This niche brings a special piquancy to the overall design of the apartment.

Advantages and disadvantages

Home is a place of power. A person comes to his apartment and recovers after a working day. For this to be really effective, it is necessary to properly equip the bedroom or sleeping area (if we are talking about a one-room apartment). The bed niche in the wall creates a feeling of security and intimacy. It allows you to isolate yourself from the rest of the space.

Its advantages include:

• the presence of personal space;
• the appearance of special zones for storing and storing things (their characteristics depend on the features of the arrangement of the alcove);
• additional blackout (it can be enhanced with a canopy or a simple curtain).

Alcove allows you to rationally use every centimeter in the room, regardless of its area. Thanks to him, you can even equip a small studio or small apartment. It is enough to simply install a podium in the alcove with drawers for bedding, clothes, accessories and other things.

But before arranging a niche, it is necessary to take into account its shortcomings, which include:

• the possibility of problems with ventilation in the bedroom (typical for rooms with large alcoves);
• the need to organize additional lighting (wall sconces, ceiling chandeliers or LED lighting);
• limited choice of furniture (it must match the size of the recess).

In an alcove with stationary products, it is impossible to simply rearrange the bed or move it a few centimeters. To do this, you will have to dismantle the entire structure (partially or completely).

Also, due to the nature of the alcove, it is difficult to clean up. Dust constantly accumulates in all recesses, steps, shelves and cabinets in the niche. It accumulates under the bed and even in small gaps if the berth is on the podium and does not have traditional legs. Dust is difficult to remove with a vacuum cleaner, which greatly complicates general and weekly cleaning. To avoid these problems, when organizing a berth in an alcove, you should consider the location of all functional elements.

Varieties of designs

An alcove is a small makeshift bedroom. There are several types of such indentations. They can be initially provided for by the layout of the apartment and are indicated in the technical documentation of the BTI. In this case, when decorating a room, you can use official data and develop a design project taking into account accurate measurements.

Niches can also be formed from old storage rooms or dressing rooms. In stalinkas, brezhnevkas and even Khrushchevkas, you can find apartments with non-functional storage rooms in the rooms. Their owners often prefer not to make an additional built-in wardrobe from the pantry, but break the wall (partitions between the room and the pantry are not load-bearing) and get a small niche. It has a shallow depth, but can be used to organize a sleeping place. For added intimacy, the bed is placed on a podium and covered with a canopy.

In apartments without an alcove, owners can make a niche out of a loggia by removing the balcony block and installing batteries there. Such a redevelopment cannot be legalized because of the radiators on the balcony, but a new functional room will appear in the apartment. In private houses and apartments in new buildings with a free layout, owners can independently design an alcove using plasterboard walls. At the same time, they themselves set the size and shape of the niche, depending on the design features of the room.

Location of a niche in an apartment

A niche for a bed in an apartment can only be in a room. Usually the alcove is located in the part of the room opposite from the window, but options are possible. In the case of redevelopment of housing, a niche for a sleeping place can form anywhere:

• on the loggia (in the case of connecting the living quarters with the loggia or balcony);
• next to the window (if you reduce the area of ​​the kitchen and partially move the wall between the kitchen and the room);
• right at the door of the room (such an alcove is obtained if you dismantle the "Soviet" built-in wardrobe in stalinkas or Khrushchevs).

In studios, the bed niche should be placed away from the stove and household appliances.

What you need to consider when designing a berth in a niche

When arranging a berth in an alcove, it is necessary to consider:

• the depth and width of the niche (the bed should fit well into the recess);
• design features of the selected bed (type of bed base, material of manufacture, the presence of additional elements);
• the style of the interior of the room.

When renovating an apartment, you should initially decide on the type of alcove decoration. The entire room can be decorated in the same style, using the same materials, or you can focus on this sleeping niche with wallpaper in contrasting colors, additional lighting above the bed and a podium.

How to choose the right furniture

The assortment of furniture stores is huge, but when arranging an alcove, it is necessary to take the correct measurements, and only then buy a sleeping place. The bed should fit in a niche and not interfere with free movement around the rest of the room.

In niches, double beds with a width of 160-180 cm are usually installed.For small alcoves, one-and-a-half beds or sofas with a width of 100-150 cm are suitable.If the niche was designed independently and has a large width, you can take a bed 200 cm wide for its arrangement. But for that so that the furniture in the alcove looks stylish and harmonious, it is better to make it to order.

Varieties of beds for organizing a sleeping place in a niche

Sleeping accommodations in alcoves can be subdivided into mobile and stationary. The first are ordinary beds that can fit loosely against the walls of the niche. They are bought in furniture stores, have a standard structure and can be transferred to another part of the room (apartment) without losing functionality.

Stationary berths are most often made according to the preliminary order, taking into account the dimensions of a particular alcove. They are massive structures with a podium, cupboards, shelves and other furniture items.

Bed Niche Design Ideas

There are two main ways to color the alcove: playing on contrasts and choosing shades in the same range. But in any case, it is not recommended to paint the walls of the recess in too dark colors (black, dark blue, brown), otherwise the niche will look like a black hole.

To decorate the alcove, it is better to use materials with different textures: drywall, artificial or natural stones, wood, raw brick and metal. The choice of this or that material for decorating a room is due to the uniform style of the room. To decorate the alcove, drywall is most often used, with which you can create unusual compositions in the bedroom above the bed.

But when arranging a niche, an integrated approach is especially important. It is necessary to choose finishing materials, decide on the colors and carefully think over the design project. During the renovation, you can use ready-made design solutions:

1. Drown a high headboard in a shallow niche and drape it with blackout curtains.
2. Place the bed on a podium, place a mirrored ceiling above it and close this sleeping place with opaque partitions.
3. Paste the walls next to the bed with multi-colored wallpaper (to match the bed linen or blankets).
4. Place LED strips around the perimeter of the alcove, highlighting a sleeping place using lighting.
5. Make a high podium with 3-4 rows of boxes and a small ladder on the side, so that it is convenient to climb onto the bed (this solution allows you to place a huge number of things).
6. Mount a transforming bed in the recess, which when folded will resemble an ordinary wall (ideal for small apartments).

Examples of using a niche in different styles

Niches with beds will be appropriate in any interior style: modern, classic, futuristic, etc. They are a functional element of the room, which you can design at your own discretion:

1. In retro-style rooms, you can use symmetrical elements on either side of the bed.
2. In oriental interiors, it is worth making the entrance to the bedroom area in the form of an arch, decorating it with drywall.
3. In a minimalist room, it is not recommended to close the alcove with curtains or a canopy. Better to leave it completely open.
4. In niches made in a classic style, you can decorate the walls with plasterboard stucco.
5. In hi-tech and techno rooms, you can close the entrance to the alcove with a sliding door (all-glass or with a metal frame).

The design styles of the niche itself and the furniture must completely match. If this part of the room looks like a single whole, then the entire interior of the room will acquire a certain completeness. In an apartment, it is allowed to use several style solutions at once only if the owner is sure that the room will only benefit from this.

But without experience in developing design projects, it is not recommended to mix different styles: it can turn out to be clumsy and ugly. The exception is kitsch. This is the name of an unusual interior style, which is characterized by unusual combinations and mixing of all kinds of style solutions. But kitsch has a lot of flaws and can ruin the look of a bedroom.

Video: a bed in a niche in a studio apartment

Photo 50 design options for a niche in the wall for a bed