I don't worry about it at all. I think they have become popular because they are so practical and fill a need there has always been for keeping products organized and easy to reach while showering. It's hard to imagine when that would change or what would replace them - going back to wire thingies hanging from the showerhead, or shelves that are not recessed, which would be a fall danger? Probably the way some of us are tiling them will date them, but not the recesses themselves.

Exactly what Olychick said. Of all of things that could, and probably will, date our bathroom renovations, I'm not concerned about the niches. I can't imagine that I'd ever design a bathroom without one.

What, shelves are gonna go outta style?

Last I checked Costco is doing well. So giant bottles will be old and need to fit in a niche.

Well said. Thanks!

form and function never goes out of style.

That was my concern as well. I think it's just such a weird thing in the wall to have and it's not at all vintage looking. But I just have to do it cuz there's no space for me to hide all these bottles in my tub shower. I just put it on the wall that when you enter the room you don't see it.

If you've actually tried to find a tile in shelf lately, you'd know that they are virtually non existant. Except in the travertine look alike. Or amorphous faux beige stone look alike. It's no wonder that they aren't selling a bunch of them. They are pretty ugly. It's just easier to create your own corner shelves or a niche and get something more attractive. The niche just doesn't protrude into the shower space. And in a lot of smaller showers, that's important. Of course, in mega-godzilla shower land, the amount of space that a shelf takes up isn't that important. But, that's when fashion comes into play, and so the niche is chosen for them as well.

Niches are functional. Plain and simple. By decluttering the shower space by recessing lotions and potions into the depth of the wall itself, they open up the physical and visual space of the shower.

With the advent several years ago of manufactured tile-on niche forms, they became more popular.

With today's topical waterproofing membranes they've become much easier to install, they are very DIY-friendly as long as you get the layout correct.

Add to that online forums that show what the Jones' have in their bathrooms, the idea that your online cyber-neighbor has something that you don't have? And access to forums like this where you can learn how to build them, step-by-step?

They are functional.
They de-clutter the shower.
They can be a design focal point, a punch of detail.

I would be disappointed to have a shower or bath without one.

I agree that niches are largely functional and inoffensive and thus unlikely to make a shower look particularly date. I could see oddly sized niches becoming an issue if perhaps the size or shape of shower products changes in the future. But I think they are much less likely to go out of favor like a soap dish which is specific to bar soaps, or some sort of built in dispenser (I don't even know if those exist). What would you do instead of a niche? A shelf that extends out of the wall? A shower head caddy? A soap dish? I can't think of other options that have nearly the flexibility and functionality.

FWIW, I used a niche on the pony wall to hid all the shampoos and soaps etc. I love the functionality and you can not see it unless you are in the shower using it.