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9 Ways to Fit a Shelf in Your Shower

Pop in a perch for your washing essentials with these smart ideas for shower shelving

Amanda Pollard
Amanda Pollard11 February, 2025
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Avoid a floor full of toiletries in your shower enclosure by planning some all-important shelf storage. Check out these ideas to find out how you can fit in a useful surface.
Ardesia Design
1. Cut out a recess
If you’re installing a new shower enclosure, it’s a good idea to think about storage before you begin tiling. If one of the vertical surfaces in your shower is a stud wall, a professional tradesperson should be able to cut out a neat niche for a shelf. This one is perfectly placed to easily grab toiletries when you’re mid-shower.

The construction of your wall will dictate how big your niche can be, as you’ll only be able to knock into the areas between the timber framework.

Make a feature of your shelf by using different tiles in the recess, as seen in this project by Ardesia Design. The patterned tile might have been too busy for a larger surface, but is perfect to highlight this small niche.
Brian O'Tuama Architects
2. Build out a wall
If you don’t have the option of recessed shelves, or if you fancy a larger shelf, you could get your installer to construct a low false wall instead, with the top surface acting as a ledge. This one, designed by architect Brian O’Tuama, is at the perfect height for easy access, and the white tiles allow it to blend into the wall behind.

Need help with your bathroom? Find designers and fitters in your area in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
SHED Architecture & Design
3. Provide a hood
Want to avoid too much water splashing on your ledge surface? Build another wall above your low shelf to act as a buffer. It won’t prevent water spraying down completely, but it will certainly help.

Here, SHED Architecture & Design has used the walls above and below to create a wall-to-wall recessed shelf, and the contrasting tile detail has turned it into a feature.
Studio Clark + Co
4. Install a full-width shelf
For something simpler but just as streamlined, try a neat shelf like this one in a design by Studio Clark + Co, tucked neatly between the two walls to form a contained surface.

The shelf is made from a piece of the same tile as the rest of the shower area to help it blend in. A contrasting finish could work just as well, but, for durability, make sure you choose a water-resistant material.

More: Key Dimensions to Know for the Perfect Bathroom Layout
Charter Projects Ltd
5. Pop in a freestanding surface
Of course, you don’t have to go for a standard type of shelf. If you’re not able to install a ledge in your shower enclosure, try bringing in an alternative surface to raise bottles off the floor instead.

Here, Charter Projects added a wooden drum that fits snugly in the corner and provides a little shelf for shampoo and shower gel. Look out for items around your home that you could repurpose as a quirky shower ledge, but do be aware that there will be a lot of water landing on it.
VORBILD Architecture
6. Save space with corner shelving
Make sure the space in your shower enclosure is ergonomic by avoiding any sharp edges. These corner shelves are ideal in this space and, by installing three of them, architect Michael Vorbild has provided enough space for all the homeowners’ shower essentials.

The diagonal lines of the shelves work particularly well in this bathroom, as they tie in with the geometric floor tiles.
Indie & Co.
7. Opt for a simple metal shelf
If you want a shower surface that’s easy to fit, a metal shelf is a great solution. This petite wall-hung one in an Indie & Co project only required a couple of screws to hang it and it fits neatly in the space. There’s enough room for everyday toiletries, but the design is unobtrusive.
8. Go high
To keep your walls clean and minimal, position your shelf out of the way. The glass ledge here is high enough to avoid head bumps and doesn’t impinge on the space. The frameless door and white tiles give this room a spacious feel, and the high glass shelf helps to keep it that way.
LOVE INTERIORS
9. Continue a run
In this practical wash space, the designers at Love Interiors have used the area wisely by building a wall beneath the window. The construction helps to cover the pipework and cistern, while doubling up as a handy storage ledge. It runs the whole width of the window into the shower, so it acts as a very useful shower shelf as well.

Tell us…
What do you think of these ideas for shower shelves? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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