If you have observed Indian homes of the pre-electricity era, you simply could not have missed a small alcove or indentation in the walls of the homes both on the interior and the exterior walls of the house. These niches were usually used to house oil lamps and hurricane lamps which provided light to homes in an era when there was no electricity.

The area around these niches was decorated with intricate designs or conventional
Rangoli using red soil to highlight the area. We have come a long way from those days, but the élan of having a niche in certain spots of the homes has not vanished altogether.

Right space
The posts that hold the gates usually have these little niches which house gods or lucky totems besides space for an earthen or an electric lamp.

Many houses even in high-rise apartments also have two small niches on either side of the main door to house lamps during festivities.

But then the number of such houses is dwindling in number.

Here are a couple of ideas which you can put into use if you are in the process of building a new house or renovating an old one. If you give it a thought you could revive this conventional idea with a practical value and put it into use so that it appears contemporary and classic too. A couple of alcoves in and around the house at the eye level, say five feet above the ground level in different sizes and varying depths can be very useful.
Since we are living an age of power cuts you could place emergency lamps or fancy candles in one of them, especially in the one on the exterior so that they can be lit when electricity fails. The niches carved in strategic points of your living room could house ornate clocks, artefacts, paintings or even extra coffee table books that can be examined by your guest without disturbing your arrangement.

Similarly you could have alcoves in your bedroom where you can keep family pictures or gifts that have retained a sentimental value. Niches in children’s rooms can house toys or trophies or simply used to keep odd things that are used often.

Innovation
You could use glazed tiles in pastel colours that will complement any wall colour for the interior and the side walls of the alcove. Get a good carpenter to fix a transparent glass door with metallic hinges to cover the alcoves. This arrangement will prevent accumulation of dust and grime on the articles housed in the niche.

Special touches
If you have in-house talent for painting an elaborate border can be drawn around the niches and painted colourfully to add that touch of gaiety to your home. The ones who have lesser talent quotient and even lesser time could buy lengths of readymade stickers in gaily hues and stick them around the alcove to draw attention to the area.

Niches not only provide extra storing and display space with a little innovation on your part but will certainly lend an old world charm of its own with its mere presence.