It’s no secret to home builders that the television is the focus of a home’s great room. It has to be able to accommodate not only the big, wide TV screen but all the video, audio and computer components tied into it. In the early days of video, televisions had tiny screens in large cabinets. As transistors replaced tubes, the screens got bigger and the cabinets eventually withered away altogether.

Today’s home theater and entertainment systems have wall-sized screens, with wires and cords everywhere, presenting a challenge for living room design. As a solution, builders began providing media niches and built-in entertainment centers. That, in turn, has helped spark a boom in niches and built-ins throughout the entire house.

“Niches are big right now,” says Erin Riley, marketing coordinator for Rilington Communities. She remembers walking through a house in the framing stages and seeing all the places where niches could be opened up between struts and beams. “Before, that space would have been dry walled over. It’s taking advantage of the space that’s already there.”

The niche trend has now moved far beyond the media center to almost every room in the house. In the dining room, niches are widely used for buffets, wine holders and even a butler’s pantry. Built-in desks and extra cabinets are popular in kitchens, while niches in the master bedroom provide space for another media center, extra closet space, built-in dressers or even a coffee bar. Entryways or stairway landings come with recessed coves that can hold a phone nook or a lit painting. Even the utility or laundry room can be complemented with extra shelving. And niches aren’t just for inside a home. Built-in barbecues, fireplaces and fountains add to the outside as well.

“We try to design as many as possible in almost every room,” says Lisa Rane, home fitting manager for Fieldstone Communities. “It’s just something that’s grown in the last five years until it’s taken on its own life. And while it’s pretty much a trend around the country, there’s no doubt that California housing is on the edge with elements like these.”

Niches and built-ins may have started with big screens, but they’ve grown in popularity because they appeal to both buyers and builders.

What Buyers Want

Space — “Every home buyer wants as much square footage possible for the money,” explains Michael Harris, director of marketing for KB Home. “That means looking at design elements that can enhance the square footage. Built-ins and niches mean that wall units and large pieces of furniture don’t have to take up as much room. It minimizes their intrusion into the living space.”

With real estate in San Diego at a premium, this allows builders to make a room feel more spacious without adding to the floor plan’s footprint. It is also a functional use of the space that appeals to buyers who prefer room to spread out vs. a cathedral ceiling. Best of all, it accomplishes this in an aesthetic fashion.

Choice — Niches provide owners with many possibilities, appealing to those who consider their home a sanctuary. They can either fill it with a larger piece of furniture — perhaps an antique buffet or a widescreen high-definition television — or decide it’s the perfect place for a built-in. “We don’t provide built-ins as standard,” notes Riley. “We like to leave that up to the buyer. It gives them the opportunity to decide what they want.”

Design — “We often add niches because they break up a large wall,” says Kathy Courtney, director of sales and marketing for William Lyon in San Diego and South Riverside County. “This way, a room doesn’t look like a sea of plaster. People will often look at a big space and don’t know what to do with it. This gives a room a finished look.” Courtney also notes that she sees an increase in smaller niches for a lit painting or other smaller decorative touches.

Designers know that niches can provide a decorative anchor for a room, making it easier for homeowners to lay out eye-pleasing furniture arrangements — not to mention hiding unsightly electrical cords and plugs.

Character — Personalizing is a fairly new trend in modern homes, but one that’s caught on with buyers. “When I first started, we only had a few options,” says Harris. “Now, we have more than 5,000. Even if people are purchasing a production home, they want to make sure it meets their lifestyle and personality.”

Not only are homeowners asking for options and upgrades in appliances and countertops, they also are opting for colorful paint, distinctive molding and niches as a means of warming up a home and giving it personalized character.

What Builders Want

Competition — Builders have discovered that niches are good for business. “It helps us stand out from the competition,” says Dave Warren, senior vice president of home building for the Corky McMillin Cos. in San Diego. “Builders are always trying to one-up the competition and come up with something new that buyers like. Touches like these are opportunities to enhance what our homes offer.”

Profits — Warren notes that the buyers who are most choosy about built-ins are usually those in the move-up market. “We offer built-ins in houses across the board,” he says, “but it’s the people with more disposable income who can afford them.”

That’s a key component in how home developers do business now. Options can add anywhere from $10,000 to $80,000 to a home. “Adding more opportunities for built-ins means offering people more opportunities to spend money,” notes Warren.

Like the yin and yang of Chinese philosophy, niches and built-ins have become a staple of home design. It’s a housing trend that shows no signs of abating anytime soon as buyers and builders continue to embrace it.

“We’ve found it’s easy to build a box with four walls,” says Warren. “This trend gives us an opportunity to do something that makes homes more interesting.”