Interesting ways to decorate alcoves
If you're lucky enough to have a house with interesting architectural features, chances are you'll find yourself wondering what to do with an alcove at some point. They can be perfect for showcasing prized possessions and beautiful objects, from lamps and vases to books and pictures. If you've got a really generous alcove, you might even be able to squeeze a bed into it, for a cosy curtained sleeping area. Whether it's a small, Regency-style alcove just dipping into a wall, or a larger recess next to a fireplace or in a bedroom, we've collected some beautiful ideas for filling these elegant spaces.
Boz Gagovski1/28Amidst the riotous colour and print in her living room, Stella Weatherall has clad the alcove walls in antique mirror panels. As the room is long and narrow, the mirror help to create an illusion of width.
Simon Brown2/28Though rather unconventional and arguably perhaps bigger than an alcove, Henrietta von Stockhausen of VSP Interiors has worked wonders with this space in a former dairy-turned-house. It serves as a lovely bar area, with beautiful tiles contrasting against the dark marble worktop.
Paul Massey3/28Adding a built-in wardrobe to an alcove is a good use of such a space in a bedroom, as Laura Stephens has done here. The wallpaper in the primary bedroom is ‘Gallier Diamond’ by Brunschwig & Fils supplied by Kravet. The client loved it so much that Laura used its diamond motif as inspiration throughout the flat. ‘We got my joiner to replace the doors of this IKEA wardrobe to match,' she explains. The wardrobe knobs are from Matilda Goad and the tassels are bespoke by Jessica Light.
Michael Sinclair4/28Matching alcoves on either side of a chimneybreast are a common architectural feature. Many interior designers choose to create some sense of symmetry between them, although perfect symmetry may not be desirable. In his south London house, Guy Tobin has used matching lamps on either side of the fireplace, but in other respects the alcoves are quite different, with two mismatched console tables, a cabinet on the wall in one alcove and a drawing in the other.
5/28In the sitting room of Max Rollitt's Hampshire house, an alcove beside the fireplace is filled with a similar mix of objects. A lamp and an antique bowl stand atop a cabinet, while paintings and a display case fill the wall space.
Paul Massey6/28These matching alcoves in the former home of JM Barrie, redesigned by Studio Ashby, Sophie Ashby has painted the shelves in the same colour as the panelling (‘Glass V’ by Paint & Paper Library), and the spines of the books are so arranged as almost to form an extension of the print on the chairs and the pattern of the rug.
Paul Massey7/28On the other side of the same room, the alcoves have matching cabinets from Lorford's, but the varying sizes of the artworks, plus the variety in objects on top of the cabinets, keeps the symmetry from feeling too aggressive.
Paul Massey8/28Bridie Hall's north London house is full of colourful alcove ideas. In the sitting room, the shelves are picked out in Paint & Paper Library’s ‘Chinese Emperor’, helping them to stand out from the white walls and picking up on the yellow in a Larusi rug.
Paul Massey9/28In the dining room, fireplace recesses become opportunities to show off artworks, including Bridie's intaglio cases (similar are available from Pentreath & Hall) in a group of three.
Paul Massey10/28Meanwhile in Bridie's bedroom, shelves have been built into the alcove that provide space for books, objects, and a collection of her Greek urn prints.
Elsa Young11/28Henrietta Courtauld of The Land Gardeners takes a different approach to matching alcoves in the living room of her 1850s London terrace house, with cabinets at the bottom, a shelf to hold decorative objects, and a cabinet above that forms another shelf on top. All these features are painted in the same colour as the wall, meaning that they are not too obtrusive in the room.
12/28The twin mirrors on either side of the fireplace reflect the natural light beautifully in this sitting room by Turner Pocock, and open up the alcoves as well as the space in general. The patterns on upholstery and rugs mimic the statement made by the mirrors - both are bold and graphic.
Paul Massey13/28In the small bedroom of a London house designed by Ben Pentreath, an alcove has been lined in tongue-and-groove panelling painted in a blue (‘Asian Blue’ by Emente) that contrasts with the William Morris wallpaper. A double bed just fits into the alcove, and tiny bedside tables have been built into its sides to save space.
Alexander James14/28If you don't already have an alcove, there are good reasons why you might want to create one, especially in a small room. In the box room of this Georgian cottage in London, the ceiling of the room has a very severe angle, making it impossible to stand in the lowest part of the room. Interior designer Sarah Peake's response was to put in a single bed below the window, and build out a nook up to the angle of the ceiling, using the space efficiently and making the room feel more spacious.
Simon Brown15/28Diane Nutting, the former chatelaine of the Grade I-listed Chicheley Hall, downsized to this property, her late mother-in-law's manor house in the Wiltshire downs, after her children flew the nest. The house had plenty of features of its own, and they installed others that were reminiscent of Chicheley. A curved alcove on one side of the alcove is a great place for a statement object, like this enormous blue and white lamp.
Paul Massey16/28An alcove can be a delightful place to put a seat - all it requires is a little built-in joinery. At her Queen's Park cottage, Lonika Chande has created a charming reading nook in the space under the stairs with a built in bench, seat cushion and some bookshelves.
Paul Massey17/28Joinery has also been deployed to create the effect of an alcove in this sitting room by Sophie Elborne of Kitesgrove. Adding joinery can bring character to otherwise plain rooms, and in this case frames the sofa, the artwork and the wall lights beautifully.
Michael Sinclair18/28Hotellier Arnaud Zannier has legions of celebrity fans, including Angelina Jolie, who live in his Cambodia hotel Phum Baitang for three months. Known for simplicity and sophistication, his home is a prime example of this ethos. This bath built into an alcove in the family bathroom of his family home near Ghent makes full use of the space, while simple white and wood scheme is chic and timeless.
Rachael Smith19/28This bedroom alcove has been used for built-in bookshelves in Louise Jones' Victorian cottage in south west London. The upright books work well beside the walls, which are covered in Nicole Fabre Designs' 'Abbeville' fabric from Tissus d'Hélène. The stripes complement the bedtime reading material perfectly.
Paul Massey20/28Designer Guy Goodfellow has made the window a feature in this manor-house bedroom in Devon. Its casement is painted in Rose of Jericho's 'Mountain Green', framed by thick linen curtains and with a smart seat underneath. The ceiling is painted with floral motifs, giving the appearance of pargeting. To replicate these murals, try the painter Dawn Reader.
21/28The alcoves in the bedroom of this seaside house in Cap Ferret have been used for storage. Here is a low-effort storage solution: simply use curtains to hide any unattractive essentials and place IKEA boxes full of smaller items on high-up shelves.
Helen Cathcart22/28The main bedroom in designer Paul de Zwart's Kensal Rise home cleverly combines decorative details with storage. A chest of drawers built into the alcove is made from the same material as the wall cladding. The two 'Leggera' chairs from Giò Ponti add colour.
Paul Massey23/28Paolo Moschino chose a cabin-style bed to make the most of limited space in a spare room. The designer has transformed this small, humble fisherman's cottage in north Cornwall into a light-filled home. A blue-and-white colour scheme is used throughout the property, inspired by colours of the sea, as well as giving continuity that adds to the sense of spaciousness.
Alex James24/28Lovely joinery design ideas in this room designed by Helen Green. If your room is lacking space for both cupboards and seating, smart storage space with a recess for a small sofa solves the problem. Spotlights have been added to the underside of the middle shelf to create a cozy, well-lit nook for reading. The tongue-and-groove effect on the walls is echoed on the sturdy bunk-beds to the left of the picture.
25/28With no living space to spare, overhead storage is a life saver. Paolo Moschino has created a decorative nook in this living room. The built in cabinetry encloses the sofa, creating a cosy alcove.
26/28Transforming this tiny attic room into a children's room for two required some ingenuity: enter Kate Earle of Todhunter Earle who designed these overlapping bunk beds as a clever space-saving solution.
Andrew Montgomery27/28In this Georgian alcove House & Garden's deputy decoration editor Ruth Sleightholme has used a Twenties ebonised wood plinth, £2,500, from The Pruskin Gallery mounted with a Chinese oxblood-glazed porcelain bowl, £550, from Guinevere, a 'Lidded Black Clay Vessel', by Nic Webb, £2,880; and 'Gold Hot' iron and gold pot, by Grant McCaig, £300; both from The New Craftsmen.
28/28The best thing about having a small or strangely shaped room is the opportunity it presents to use your space imaginatively. The alcove behind the door, in the home of designer Patrick Williams of Berdoulat design, has been turned in to a charming sleeping nook. Enclosed behind the curtain are shelves, and a lamp for reading. The room is painted in Farrow and Ball's 'Lamp Room Gray'; while the random-width floorboards were bought on eBay. Reclaimed drawers are used under the bed as storage.
