Pooja Room with Arched Niche and Lattice Screen

The black screen is a decorative cut-out in a diamond lattice, fixed to the wall around the arched niche. We used it as a frame rather than a full partition. Open latticework lets the wall behind show through, so it decorates without boxing the niche in or blocking light. Kept in black against the white, it gives the niche a clear outline. A solid border would have looked heavier and closed the arch off from the wall.

Yes, a low wooden daybed runs along one side. It is slatted and kept low so it reads light in a small room and does not crowd the prayer area. You can sit there quietly between prayers or use it when the family gathers. A daybed also doubles as a guest perch if the room is ever needed for something else. The white cushion and bolster make it comfortable without adding bulk to the corner.

Along the right wall. There is a tall wooden wardrobe next to a grey base cabinet with a solid counter on top. Between them they hold prayer books, lamps, oil and the things you do not want on display. Keeping storage to one wall leaves the niche wall clean and the floor clear for the prayer rugs. The counter also gives you a surface to prepare a thali or set down a lamp.

Two patterned prayer rugs lie in front of the niche over a glossy white tile floor. The rugs mark the spot for prayer and add warmth underfoot on hard tile. Layering soft rugs on a plain floor is an easy way to define a prayer zone without building a raised platform. They can be rolled away and cleaned, and swapped out when they wear, which is simpler than a fixed floor finish.

The niche itself is mostly carpentry and the panel finish, so that part is modest. The lattice screen is where the cost moves, because a cut-out pattern takes more work than a plain board and the material you choose changes the figure a lot. A simple laser-cut panel is far cheaper than a hand-carved one. Price a couple of lattice options before deciding, since the screen is the piece people will actually notice.

It can shrink well. The whole idea rests on one arched niche and a framing screen, which needs only a single wall. In a tight space you can drop the daybed and the side storage and keep just the niche. The lattice screen still gives it presence at any size. If you are carving a prayer spot out of a larger room, the same arch and screen on one wall will set it apart without a separate door.

A cut-out screen does gather dust in its edges, more than a flat surface would. A quick going-over with a soft brush or a vacuum dust attachment every couple of weeks keeps it clear. In a prayer room where lamps and incense are used, wipe it down a little more often, since smoke leaves a fine film on any raised detail. Choosing a smooth-finished screen rather than a rough one makes that cleaning much quicker.