There were a few things about our house that I didn't love when we moved in, but there was only one (well, two) things that I was at a complete loss when it came to what to do - my niches. The upstairs area has two - one in the living room (pic on the left) and one going into the kitchen (right).

Over the years I have purchased quite a few things to put in them. Every time, I took whatever it was back. I've put art in them, I've covered them with art, I've filled them with vases - you name it. Nothing quite worked. Then one day, the wonderful Corey from Sawdust 2 Stitches posted this gun case and for whatever reason it made a light bulb go off - I could cover them with a mirror.

First things first, I built the mirror. Because the niche is 48"h x 28"w, it would cost a fortune to cover it with a store bought mirror. I opted to purchase the materials and make one myself. You may have seen the mirror here.

Once I built the mirror, I had to figure how to attach the mirror to the wall. We tried a few things (hinges and such) but finally went with full extension drawer glides. You can pick them up at Home Depot/Lowe's or save yourself a few dollars and order them on Amazon (affiliate link)

I pulled the glides apart and attached the bottom tracks to the wall.

Then I attached the top tracks to the back of the mirror.

Next, the hubs and I lined up the top and bottom tracks and attached them.

I want to mention that the drawer glides can detach from each other using a black clip on the back - but there's a catch. You actually have to be able to get to the clip. Luckily, because my niches are on a wall with edges, I have access to the clip. If your niche is on a long wall, you will not be able to access the clip without removing trim pieces. This isn't a problem for everyone but you will want to make sure the bottom track and top track match up perfectly before attaching them or you will drive yourself batty trying to take the mirror off the tracks.

Once the mirror was on the track, the drawer glides caused the mirror to stick out a bit from the wall.

To fix this, we could have recessed the glides into the wall, but I really didn't want to cut into the wall. We decided it made more sense to add trim around the edges.

There was still a bit of a gap, so we decided to do something a little different. We attached a small piece of quarter round to the wall at the top, bottom and right side of the mirror.

On the left side, I attached it directly to the mirror (so the mirror could still slide).

What I loved about attaching the quarter round to the wall was that it gives an extra stopping point to the mirror. After sanding and painting the mirror my niche was covered (sorry about the smudges).

But the best part is that I have hidden storage! I have a great place to store my keys and a place to put my mail (because I'm tired of it sitting on my kitchen island).

See all that junk on the coffee table? that's real life happening :-)

If you have a power outlet nearby, it would make an awesome charging station area. You could also use it as command central for calendars and such that you don't have to look at. The possibilities are endless.

I am so glad for the inspiration from Corey and I can't wait to cover the other niche! Do you have an ugly niche you've covered up? If so, I'd love to see it!

Check us out at: Your Turn to Shine and Thrifty Decor Chick!