---
title: "Lumbar Pillows Made to Measure: Sizes, Inserts and Color"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/cushions/lumbar-pillows/"
section: "The Cushion Atlas"
author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/"
published: "2026-02-18"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "lumbar pillow, custom lumbar pillow, lumbar pillow cover, long lumbar pillow for bed, banquette lumbar pillow, matching lumbar pillows"
---

# Lumbar pillows: the long, low line of color across a bed or banquette

*A lumbar is the one pillow that crosses the whole composition. I read it the way I read a horizon: for its color, its sheen and where the light falls along it.*

> **The quick answer:** A lumbar pillow is a long, low rectangular pillow, made to any size in the same fabric as your bench, banquette or bed. For a full, plump look, fill the cover with an insert about 1 in larger each way: a 24 x 12 in cover takes a 25 x 13 in insert. Covers zip off for washing, and pillows ship filled or as covers only.

![Green and cream striped lumbar pillow in front of yellow wide-stripe squares on a gray panel headboard bed](https://cushionguide.com/media/lumbar-pillows/green-stripe-lumbar-yellow-wide-stripe-squares-1600.webp "Narrow green stripes and broad yellow stripes mixed on one bed, linked by a shared cream ground.")

## What a lumbar pillow is, and who needs one

One extra inch of insert is the whole secret of a lumbar pillow that sits up. A 24 x 12 in cover over a 25 x 13 in insert looks full and generous; the same cover over a same-size insert sits flatter.

A lumbar pillow is the long, low rectangle that lies in front of the squares: on a bed before the shams, on a banquette against the wall, across the back of a floor sofa. It eases the small of the back, but in a room its bigger job is visual. It lays one horizontal line of color that the whole arrangement rests on.

Most lumbars the workshop sews are matched to a seat it has already made or to a sofa the buyer loves. For squares alongside, see [custom throw pillows](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/throw-pillows/); for the round cousin, [bolster pillows](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bolster-pillows/).

## Lumbar pillow sizes made to order, side by side

| Where it goes | Size | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Small lumbar | 8 x 20 in (20 x 51 cm) | A small lumbar size; name the unit when you order |
| Banquette or bed | 24 x 12 in (61 x 30 cm) cover | Fill with a 25 x 13 in (64 x 33 cm) insert for a plump look |
| Restaurant booth | 12 in (30 cm) tall, any length | Lengths set run by run from a drawing |
| Window seat back | 14 x 63.5 in (36 x 161 cm) | Flat knife edge, hidden zipper, lies against the wall |
| Floor sofa extra | Any size you give | Priced by size; the backrest behind it is about 16 in (40 cm) tall |
| Anything else | Your width x height, in one unit | Covers only or filled; zippered and washable |

## Knife edge, piping and the flat back pillow

The classic lumbar is knife-edge: two panels sewn together at the rim with no side band, so the pillow crowns softly in the middle and thins toward the seam. A piped rim draws the outline in a second color; self piping, like the burgundy lumbar before forest green shams, keeps the line quiet and tailored. [Box edge vs knife edge](https://cushionguide.com/guides/box-edge-vs-knife-edge-cushion/) lays out the difference.

When a lumbar has to work as a backrest, make it long and flat. One kitchen window seat took a 14 x 63.5 in knife-edge back pillow with a [hidden zipper](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#hidden-zipper), in the same fabric and piping as its 4 in box seat. It lies against the wall like a ribbon under a painting.

## Fabrics and color that carry a lumbar

In our photographs the lumbar is the accent the whole bed turns on. A cranberry [velvet](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/velvet/) angled across deep teal shams catches window light along its pile, so one end glows and the other deepens toward garnet. A royal blue velvet does the same against a near-black wall and a walnut headboard.

[Corduroy](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/corduroy/) gives a lumbar ribbed shadow: ink navy between mustard shams, rust under a rattan sunburst mirror. [Stripes and ticking](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/striped-cotton-and-ticking/) bring order, a navy ticking on a banquette or a green-and-cream stripe before wide yellow bands. For a quieter bed, a charcoal [linen-look weave](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/linen-look-fabrics/) with a visible slub reads like handwriting against white sheets.

One honest note: the workshop's range is mainly plain solid colors. It sources and customizes fabric but does not weave its own or print custom patterns, so pattern lives in the stripes and ticking on the chart.

## Inserts, fill and measuring

The insert decides the silhouette. Go about 1 in larger than the cover each way and the lumbar sits full; match it exactly and the corners go soft.

The workshop's back pillows and throw pillows are filled with [shredded foam](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#shredded-foam) made on its own machine: softer than solid foam, but not very soft, so a lumbar holds its shape against a back. The fill sits in a separate insert with its own inner cover, and the zipped outer cover comes off for washing.

Measure the finished pillow you want, width by height, and name the unit. A listing that shows both units is made to the centimeter size unless you write your exact inches in the note.

## A navy ticking banquette, and three lumbars to follow

A buyer in the US chose a navy blue ticking stripe for a custom kitchen banquette cushion and loved it enough to come back. This time she wanted three lumbar pillows in the same stripe, to sit along the banquette.

The workshop made the covers 24 x 12 in and the inserts 25 x 13 in, so each pillow would sit full and a little proud, with removable zippered covers that wash. The stripe had already spoken on the seat; the lumbars repeated it, three soft echoes in navy and cream.

## Lumbar mistakes I see most

- ✗ Ordering the insert the same size as the cover. Go about 1 in larger each way for a plump lumbar.
- ✗ Mixing inches and centimeters in one drawing. Give every measurement in one unit, and say which.
- ✗ Trusting a dual-unit listing to follow your inches. It is made to the centimeter size unless you write the exact inches in the note.
- ✗ Typing 'ties' into the size box for back pillows that must stay upright. Write position and length in the order note, then confirm by message.
- ✗ Ordering a matching lumbar months later without the fabric code from the first order. Send the code so the match comes from stock.
- ✗ Assuming the pillows in listing photos come with the seat. Styled pillows are decorative and sold separately.

> A lumbar pillow looks full when the insert is about 1 in larger than the cover: a 24 x 12 in cover over a 25 x 13 in insert.
>
> — Élodie

## Styling a lumbar pillow, and where to go next

Let one color speak and the others listen. On a bed, that means one lumbar in the boldest shade in the room, cranberry, rust or royal blue, before two quieter shams. On a banquette, repeat the seat fabric and change only the piping. On a floor sofa, one long lumbar across the backrest settles a busy pattern.

Which color in your room is asking to speak, my friends? Find it, then try it on a cover in the [pillow cover studio](https://cushionguide.com/studio/pillow-cover-studio/). Read [throw and lumbar pillows to match your seat cushion](https://cushionguide.com/guides/matching-throw-pillows-lumbar-pillows/) for sizing a set, [screen vs swatch](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-color-screen-vs-daylight/) before you trust a phone, and [navy ticking stripe cushions](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/navy-ticking-stripe-cushions/) for stripes on lumbars. For the seat itself, start at [banquette and kitchen nook cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/banquette-cushions/).

> **Tailor's margin:** Match a lumbar pillow to the seat fabric, then change only the piping color. One contrast line is enough on a banquette.

## Lumbar pillow sizes by bed and sofa

| Where it goes | Common lumbar size |
|---|---|
| Twin or full bed | 14 x 20 in or 14 x 24 in |
| Queen bed | 14 x 24 in |
| King bed | 14 x 36 in or 12 x 46 in |
| Loveseat | 14 x 24 in |
| Three-cushion sofa | 14 x 36 in |
| Wide sectional | 12 x 46 in |
| Window seat or reading nook | About 12 x 20 in |

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Can you make lumbar pillows in the same fabric as my bench cushion?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Lumbar, throw and scatter pillows are made to any size in the same fabric as your bench cushion, floor cushion or sofa, as covers only or filled, with zipped covers that come off to wash. You can mix, too: one pillow in a contrasting color with piping beside another in the bench fabric. Send the sizes, how many, piping or not, the fabric codes and a reference photo in one message, and the workshop replies with the exact price and a payment link.

**A common question:** I'd like a flat oblong back pillow on my window seat, not a round bolster. Possible?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Oblong knife-edge back pillows are made to length to sit flat against the wall. A kitchen window seat got a 14 x 63.5 in lumbar back pillow with a hidden zipper, in the same fabric and piping as its 4 in box seat cushion, and the two were quoted together.

**A common question:** Should I give my pillow sizes in inches or centimeters?

**The workshop's answer:** Either, as long as you say which. The workshop confirms the unit before quoting, because a mix-up changes both the price and the pillow. If a listing shows both units for one size, the piece is made to the centimeter figure unless you write your exact inches in the note.

**A common question:** Can you make matching lumbars for a restaurant booth?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Send a drawing with every dimension, all in inches or all in centimeters, never mixed, plus your fabric codes. The workshop checks the drawing for inconsistencies before quoting. Booths are made as separate pads, and matching lumbar pillows can be made at a set height, such as 12 in, in custom lengths; production and delivery times come with the quote.

**A common question:** Can you make a seat with matching back pillows and lumbars as one set?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Give the workshop the seat's length x depth x thickness and how many bolsters, back pillows and lumbar pillows you want, and it sizes them to match; the frame height isn't needed. Everything ships filled unless you ask for covers only. Window seat sets are 4 in thick as standard, and make and delivery times come with the quote.

**A common question:** What size floor sofa seats three, and can I add lumbar pillows to it?

**The workshop's answer:** For three people the workshop suggests 28 x 64 in, which comes with the seat, a matching backrest and two bolsters. The backrest is about 16 in (40 cm) high and the seat about 4 in (10 cm) thick. Extra lumbar pillows can be added and are priced by size.

## Lumbar questions, answered plainly

### Is there one standard lumbar pillow size?

No single standard; lumbars are made to any size. Sizes made often include 24 x 12 in covers for banquettes and beds, a small 8 x 20 in, and booth lumbars 12 in tall in custom lengths. Give width x height in one unit.

### Can I order only lumbar covers for inserts I already own?

Yes. Covers alone are sold in any size through the zippered-cover listing, at a lower price than filled pillows. Measure the bare insert, not an old cover, and remember that a soft insert about 1 in larger than the cover gives the fullest look.

### What is inside a lumbar pillow from the workshop?

Shredded foam made on the workshop's own machine, softer than solid foam but not very soft. It sits in a separate insert with its own inner cover, so the outer cover unzips and comes off for washing while the fill stays contained.

### How long does a set with lumbar pillows take to make?

Ask the workshop for current make and delivery times in writing; trade orders for booths take longer than a single window seat set. The workshop confirms size and color by message before cutting.

### How do I keep back pillows upright on a banquette?

Ask for ties when you order, with their position and length written in the note, then confirm by message; ties are never added unless requested. Double piping can also give back cushions enough structure to stand without straps.

### Are the pillows shown in listing photos included with the cushion?

Usually not. Pillows and back cushions styled in listing photos are decorative and sold separately, each priced per piece. The exception is floor-cushion and French sets, whose price includes the backrest and bolsters.

### Should a lumbar insert be bigger than its cover?

Guides disagree: some say match the cover on lumbars, others size up. For a full look, go about 2 in larger each way; one guide notes that a 14 x 36 in cover with a same-size insert looks flat and suggests a 16 x 38 in insert instead. Match the cover only if you want a flatter, tailored pillow.

### What size lumbar pillow suits a window seat or reading nook?

About 12 x 20 in is the size nook-styling guides reach for, placed low where it meets the small of your back. On a long window seat, a single long lumbar in the cushion's fabric can replace a row of squares; the workshop makes flat knife-edge back pillows to any length, such as 14 in tall with a hidden zipper.

## Related at the atelier

- [Black Velvet Lumbar Pillow With Mustard Shams on a Dark Wood Bed](https://cushionguide.com/readings/black-velvet-lumbar-mustard-shams-dark-wood-bed/): A black velvet lumbar pillow makes a narrow bed look wider when it lies low and centered on pale sheets, with warm mustard shams at the outer edges framing it.
- [Striped Lumbar Pillow on a Walnut Bed: Four Stripe Widths](https://cushionguide.com/readings/black-cream-wide-stripe-lumbar-walnut-bed/): To mix striped throw pillows on one bed, put the highest-contrast stripe on the lumbar pillow in front and let the squares behind it step up in stripe width.
- [What size insert does my pillow cover need?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/pillow-insert-size-chart/): For a full, plump pillow, choose an insert about 2 in (5 cm) larger than the cover: an 18 x 18 in cover takes a 20 x 20 in insert.
- [Matching throw pillows and lumbars to a seat cushion, color by color](https://cushionguide.com/guides/matching-throw-pillows-lumbar-pillows/): Matching throw pillows work best as a trio: one pillow in the seat cushion's own fabric, one that repeats the piping color, and one quiet texture.
- [Navy ticking on a bench: which way the stripe runs and why](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/navy-ticking-stripe-cushions/): On a ticking stripe bench cushion, the stripes run front to back across the depth by default, because the roll is about 55 in (140 cm) wide and long stripes on a longer cushion would need a seam.

*With color and care — Élodie*

---

Written by Élodie Marchand (https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/cushions/lumbar-pillows/