If you have a shower niche in your bathroom, you're lucky. Shower niches have two large benefits. The most important use is to add storage space for things like shampoo, conditioner, and soap. This can come especially handy in smaller shower designs. The second benefit of these nooks is that they can elevate a bathroom's aesthetic. Shower niches look more cohesive with a bathroom's design than bulky caddies or corner shelves. To make a cubby stand out, it can be lined with contrasting tiles. Or, to make it appear cohesive, a nook could be filled with the same tiles as the rest of the shower.

Niches go by lots of different names. According to Mission Tile West, they can be called a built-in shower rack, a recessed shower rack, or a shower rack insert. If you're fortunate enough to have one in your home, you'll need to know how to use it to its fullest potential. Below are 15 ways to make the most out of this storage space.

To make the most out of your built-in shower rack, keep the display simple. Overcrowding your nook with too many items can make your space feel unorganized. Only place items you use all the time on the shelf.

If you use a loofah in the shower, you could store it in your shower insert. If you don't have lots of space on the shelf, you could also install a hook in the niche and hang your loofah there.

To make your shower more aesthetically pleasing, transfer your shampoo, conditioner, and body wash into matching containers. This will enhance the organization of your niche.

If you have a shower that doubles as a bathtub, use your nooks as places to store bath accessories. Kids toys, bath bombs, and bubble bath solution could all be kept here. You could also display a fun decorative sign.

If you have multiple places to store items in your shower, you could only use your recessed shower rack as a place to display decorative plants. A caddy, corner shelf, or edge of a tub could hold your shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and other toiletries.

To make your bathroom appear more cohesive and to add more storage space, you could include another built-in rack outside the shower. This could be placed above the toilet or on any empty wall. The niche outside the shower could hold things like your toothbrush, face wash, or makeup.

A shower rack insert could also be used to store a candle. This will create a peaceful ambiance in your shower space. However, just like when using the space to display plants, you would need another area to store your essential shower items.

To highlight this design feature, you could install a shower-compatible LED light strip to the top of the nook. Or, you could surround the area in light strips, to illuminate the whole nook.

As stated, adding a caddy to another area of the shower will provide more storage space for the niche. A caddy could be added to the wall or corner with suction cups. It could also be hung from the door or shower head.

To maximize the usefulness of your built-in rack, you could install a bench beneath the cubby. This would give you a place to sit while shaving or relaxing in the shower. The corner of your bench could also be a place to store large bottles or other shower products.

If you have a tall recessed shower rack, you could install a shelf (or multiple shelves) inside the nook. This will give you more surface area to store multiple items. And, it could create one larger cubby and one smaller one, so your niche can easily accommodate all your toiletries.

If your shower has a window, the edge of the window could double as a niche. This will still allow the natural light to pour into your shower while also providing another storage solution.

If you have a built-in rack right outside your shower, you could use this space for towel storage. This would allow you to wrap up in a warm towel immediately after exiting the shower.

Some showers come with two cubbies right on top of each other with each one being a different size. If this is the case for you, you have lots of opportunities to organize your belongings in a way that makes the most sense for you.

Those who share a bathroom would benefit from having two separate nooks, either inside the shower or right outside. This will provide each of you with your own space to store your shower toiletries.