Brrrringing It Back

A phone niche is useful today for keys, tablet—or telephone.

- Brian D. Coleman

When Lisa Harris was restoring her modest 1940 Spanish Colonial Revival home in Tucson, not many original details were left to save. The built-in phone niche, however, was intact. Its location, wedged in a narrow hallway between bedrooms, was inconvenient. So, after restoration, the niche was relocated to the living room, where it adds a period touch. Telephone cabinets were sold as a simple niche with a shelf, as a cabinet, or even as an assemblage with a fold-down seat.

Salvage & reuse

1. REMOVAL