SFGate

loriyreed Also- the dimensions are 43" tall by 36"wide

wildfan Hmm...good question. Do you need lighting there? A really cool sconce might look neat or a bigger and chunkier piece of art.

judyg lori, where is this? You could wallpaper it for the backdrop and add a mirror.

Darzy Paint the "inner niche" an accent color you love and put ANYTHING there you love to make an art piece out of. Your favorite pair of shoes on a ledge? A jeweled purse? A tribal mask? A t-shirt saying under glass? Anything that say's "This is YOU" would look great here.

orangecamera The word you're looking for is "niche" (I've heard it pronounced to rhyme with "itch" or like "neesh").

Use it to showcase something meaningful to you. It doesn't have to be anything large. Take a look at this picture that shows how special a small item can be in a big frame. If you do use it for something small, it would look nice to have the rim of the niche painted a color darker than the wall, to create the frame effect.

Where in your house is the niche located?

Darzy Like this..or whatever you love woud look great. Do you have a pet? A 3d version of your pet would look great too.

lefty47 HI -- If it is in your entrance , like mine is , then have a mirror cut to fit the space and have a shelf /table made and installed inset at the bottom . My shelf is deep enough to have a statue sitting there and room to set things down , like mail and keys etc.

orangecamera OMG Darzy, your comment made me giggle. Before I finished reading the whole comment, I thought of a pet in a velcro suit, stuck to the wall.. a la David Letterman.

Darzy @orangecamera...funny stuff! Our niche idea may be too quirky but this IS a great opportunity for an "out of the box" style. : ) You're right about it doesn't have to be large. The silver spoon you were fed from as a baby would be "art" there too! Have fun with this artful space!

ossiander Not sure where it is seen, reminds me of an arched window. Maybe find a stained glass piece and put a light over it.

orangecamera Well, I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth....

With a small shelf in the center the niche, it would be an opportunity for an ever-changing display. A seashell collected on vacation at the beach, one perfect piece of fruit (for a short time), a single flower in a bud vase.

Andrew It would be nice to see a mirror with the same shape but smaller, maybe a venetian style mirror?

AFC inc Venetian plaster or some decorative painting may work

loriyreed This niche is in my bedroom. I thought about putting a fairy door smack in the middle lol
I like quirky- I like items that make people think lol

loriyreed Ms. Darzy, we do have pets- 2 dachshunds and a hedgehog lol
What do you suggest? I am open to any and all of your quirkiness :)

loriyreed Your comments have me thinking!
What about a fish bowl?

orangecamera I like the fish bowl idea. Rather than one attached to the wall, how about a shelf for a regular fish bowl? I wouldn't want to risk dripping water down the wall when cleaning an attached one. Here are some really quirky fish bowls.

http://www.toxel.com/tech/2011/10/22/balancing-fishbowl/

http://www.designscene.net/2011/11/mcdonalds-fish-bowl.html

http://www.aplusrstore.com/product/859

bkarim25 It doesn't look very deep, so maybe you can add a shelf on the bottom and have a mural painted in the niche? Or you can add some lighting and showcase something you love as others have suggested.

Diamondflame How tall is this niche? It may seem a little cheesy but you can turn it into an illusory doorway by using a similarly shaped wall picture of a corridor with columns, for instance.

Darzy You could get some peel and stick cork squares and cut to fit the niche, but cover the cork in a pretty fabric. Then, put a small mirror in the center and hang your favorite jewelry around the mirror. Tiny map pins, or clear push pins?

Darzy You said quirky..:) The opening sort of looks like a dog house door. (or a cartoon mouse hole). You could put a pop art photo of your dog, then paint the backdrop black, but put your dog's name curved on the top..like some people do with their dog house. The pop art on-line is not that expensive.

Frances Temple-West Architect Sometimes features like this are more trouble than they are worth. It may have been the original builder's whim to put it in, but then what do you do with it? You might be better served filling it in and making it go away instead of struggling to make a quirky feature work. Just a thought.

Darzy It also could look like a birdcage...wall decals of birds? Paint the "hook" on the top of the arch. :)

Darzy I like the acrylic ledges for shoes... But, I like orangecamera's idea of one shelf in the center to display an item as art that you can change up anytime. Like a Valentine card or your favorite birthday card. That will always bring a smile when you see it. I'd paint the backdrop a neutral color so whatever you display will not compete with your new "art".

Darzy @orangecamera...I too was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth. Champagne tastes on a beer budget.:) It's a curse.

ATGStores.com Hi, Lori. We think your current niche would make a great "frame" for an actual niche that you could install with relative ease. You could use a contrasting color between the installed niche and the "border" niche, and then fill your installed niche with something wild - fishbowl, statuary, art ... whatever you like. We've attached some images to give you an idea of the millwork (http://www.atgstores.com/wall-niches_2759.html?linkLoc=topnav). We hope this helps give you some ideas and wish you luck.

loriyreed All of your suggestions are why I love Houzz.com!
From the crazy door ideas and fish bowls to something elegant- love them all!
In response to Frances Temple- I have not thought about making it go away. I think I will keep it as I do want to do something with it. I'm keeping the niche lol
The ledge is and inch and a half wide, it's on/in a wall that will be walked by quite often- it's located by the bathroom door- I don't want to put something that will protrude and leave bruises or be knocked down. Think pesky office desks that always attach your thigh as you walk by it :)
I did look at wall decals, mirrors, and frames. I have attached a wall painting that I like and thought about placing it in the niche. The center of the tree towards the top and the branches extending out around the top.
When I decide I will post pictures :)
Ps- I too was born with a plastic spoon!!

alwaysdesigning I would consider very nice wood with nicely finished edges that extend beyond the front into an arc that would also mimic the top of the niche. Each shelf would be deep enough to hold some artwork or decor. Maybe just two shelves spaced to allow tall objects to be placed. You can tile the back with some sparkly glass tiles for more interest or get a mirror cut to fit and installed on the back wall to reflect the shelf decor. For a more rustic look, tile with the stone stick tiles.

Adding a narrow table below it, either freestanding or floating attached to the wall and styled with lamps, can make it look like it belongs and gives some weight to the wall. Good luck
[houzz=Wet Bar with tiled niche for glassware and floating shelves]

[houzz=Architectural and Interior Photography]
[houzz=Niche]

[houzz=Southwest]

[houzz=Modern house remodel]

[houzz=Entry Barrel Vault]

[houzz=foyer]

orangecamera If you can run electricity behind the niche, you can mount a flat screen tv, and play an aquarium DVD on it. Just think, all the beautiful fish, and none of the upkeep! My friend has this (or a very similar one) in her living room and it's really peaceful. You could paint the remainder of the niche so the tv/aquarium blends in.

http://www.amazon.com/Reefscapes-Natures-Aquarium-DVD-Edition/dp/B002PA0QO8