The Pattern Room · a measuring pattern
Matching throw pillows and lumbars to a seat cushion, color by color
A seat cushion is the sentence and the pillows are its punctuation. Here is how I choose three that agree with it, in sizes that sit well and colors cut from the cushion's own chart.
SaveThe quick answer
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. Squares of 18 x 18 or 20 x 20 in (46 or 51 cm) and lumbars of 24 x 12 in (61 x 30 cm) are common starting points, and any size can be made filled or as covers only.
Three pillows, three jobs, one cushion
The pillows on a window seat are not decoration. They are the last word, and they should agree with the cushion before they say anything of their own.
When buyers ask for matching throw pillows, they often picture four or six in the cushion's fabric, lined up like a choir in matching robes. I suggest a trio instead, my friends: one pillow in the seat cushion's own fabric, one that picks up the piping, and one texture that speaks softly. Let one color speak and the others listen.
Look at the photograph at the top. A blush lumbar sits in front of taupe woven shams, against sage striped wallpaper and rust linen curtains. Blush does the talking. Taupe and sage hold still, and the eye knows exactly where to rest.
The same thinking works on a bench, a banquette or a daybed. Every color on the chart is available for every piece, so throw pillows and lumbar pillows can come from the fabric your cushion was cut from, from its piping, or from a close cousin on the chart.
Which color in your room is already doing the talking?
Choosing and ordering the trio, in eight steps
Start from the cushion's fabric code
Every pillow begins with the code of the cushion it will sit on: the main fabric and the piping, written separately. A code from an older order still works. If you fell for a listing photo, send a screenshot of that exact photo and the workshop names both codes.
Give each pillow a job
Pillow one wears the cushion's fabric, so the set reads as one piece. Pillow two takes the piping color as its body, often with piping of its own. Pillow three brings texture: velvet beside linen, corduroy beside velvet. One real set paired a contrast pillow with piping and a second pillow in the bench fabric.
Choose the squares
Squares are made to any size. 18 x 18 in, 20 x 20 in and 22 x 22 in (46, 51 and 56 cm) all come up often, and so do 19¾ x 19¾ in (50 x 50 cm) and 23½ x 23½ in (60 x 60 cm). Floor sofas take 17 x 17 in (43 cm) pillows. Each piece has a minimum production cost, so an 18 in square costs the same as a 20 in one.
Size the lumbar to the seat
A 24 x 12 in (61 x 30 cm) lumbar is a familiar size on benches: one banquette buyer ordered three in the same ticking as the bench. For a long seat, a knife-edge lumbar can run the full length, like the 14 x 63.5 in (36 x 161 cm) back pillow on the kitchen window seat below.
Decide the shape: square, long or round
Flat round pillows are made to size; one set paired two 20 in (51 cm) rounds with a 22 x 22 in square. A 16 in (41 cm) flat round, a 12 in (30 cm) sphere, fringe or a cord edge are checked with production case by case. Any other shape needs a drawing with sizes.
Filled, or covers only
Filled pillows hold shredded foam, made on the workshop's own machine, inside an insert with its own inner cover: plump, softer than solid foam, but not very soft. Pillows can also take solid foam like a cushion. If you already own inserts, order covers only and give the insert's size and fill.
Piping on each pillow, or none
Piping is included. It can be cut from the pillow's own fabric, from any code on any chart, or left off at the same cost. Roughly half of orders choose matching piping and half contrast. Write 'no piping' or 'not tufted' plainly if that is what you want.
Send it all in one message, with the cushion
List the sizes, the number of pillows, piping or not, the fabric codes and a reference photo in one message, and the workshop replies with an exact quote. Add pillows to the cushion order where you can: quotes assume one package, and shipping is one of the biggest costs of a small order.
Have it made
Measured it? Have Élodie’s workshop make it
Describe the room at four in the afternoon: the floor, the wall, the one color you love. That is where a good fabric choice begins. — Élodie
Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.
Key facts
- Matching throw, lumbar and round pillows can be made to any size in the same fabric as a bench cushion, floor cushion or sofa.
- Pillows come filled with shredded foam in its own inner cover, filled with solid foam like a cushion, or as zippered covers only.
- A 25 x 13 in (64 x 33 cm) insert inside a 24 x 12 in (61 x 30 cm) lumbar cover gives a full look.
- A pillow's nominal size is the cut fabric: four 18 in squares measured just under 16 in once stuffed.
- Piping is included and can match the body fabric, contrast with it, or be left off at the same cost.
On the cutting table: pillow sizes
| Small square | 14 x 14 in (36 x 36 cm), the size of the gift covers that ship with floor sofas |
|---|---|
| Floor sofa square | 17 x 17 in (43 x 43 cm), in the sofa's own fabric |
| Everyday throw | 18 x 18 in or 20 x 20 in (46 or 51 cm); 19¾ x 19¾ in (50 x 50 cm) on request |
| Large square | 22 x 22 in (56 cm), or about 23½ x 23½ in (60 x 60 cm) |
| Lumbar | 24 x 12 in (61 x 30 cm) cover with a 25 x 13 in (64 x 33 cm) insert |
| Long back lumbar | 14 x 63.5 in (36 x 161 cm), knife edge, the length of the seat |
| Round | 16 or 20 in (41 or 51 cm) flat rounds; spheres checked case by case |
| Fill | Shredded foam in its own inner cover, or solid foam |
| Cover | Zippered, removable, washable; piping matching, contrast or none |
Covers only, and the little gift covers that didn't match
If you already own inserts, covers only are the kinder order. They are sewn in any size and cost less than filled pillows.
Measure the bare insert, not its old cover, and say what is inside it. A soft fiber insert needs about 1 in (2.5 cm) more than its cover to look full, which is why a 25 x 13 in insert goes into a 24 x 12 in lumbar cover. Then write 'covers only' in every message. The pattern for covers on inserts you own walks through the measuring.
One question arrives with floor sofas again and again. Two small square zippered pillowcases turn up in the box, 14 x 14 in (36 cm) and empty. Nothing is missing: they are a gift, not part of the order. They are often cut from the sofa fabric, but not always, so their color can differ from the sofa and from the photos.
If you want them to match, small covers in your sofa color can be bought at cost. Add a 14 x 14 in insert and they are finished.
A green kitchen window seat and a lumbar that runs its length
A buyer in the US wrote to the workshop about a kitchen window seat beside green cabinetry. Green cabinets have a strong voice; everything near them must agree or keep quiet.
She tested samples right against the cabinet doors: an emerald velvet, a green corduroy and two soft-fabric greens. The samples were substantial, she said, though she had hoped for a softer green-and-cream stripe. She settled on a 4 x 63.5 x 19 in (10 x 161 x 48 cm) box cushion in green corduroy with cream corduroy piping and a hidden zipper.
For the back she did not want a round bolster. She asked for a knife-edge lumbar, 14 x 63.5 in (36 x 161 cm), flat against the wall and exactly as long as the seat.
Two lessons sit in that order. Test swatches beside the finishes that will not change: the cabinets, the floor, the paint. And name the shape of the back pillow, knife edge or round, because the words 'back pillow' alone could mean either.
A lumbar pillow looks full when its insert is about an inch larger than the cover: a 25 x 13 in insert inside a 24 x 12 in cover.
Élodie Marchand
Common mistakes with matching pillows
- Measuring the old pillow cover instead of the bare insert.
- Leaving out the fill type, when a soft fiber insert needs about 1 in more than its cover.
- Expecting an 18 in pillow to measure 18 in edge to edge once it is plump.
- Choosing the pillow color on a phone screen instead of beside the cabinets, wall or sofa it must live with.
- Writing 'back pillow' without saying knife-edge lumbar or round bolster.
- Ordering pillows weeks after the cushion, so they ship on their own and cost more.
- Asking for a tufted pillow with a zipper: tufted pieces are stitched closed, and covers only cannot be tufted.
- Counting the free gift covers as part of the set; their color can differ from the sofa.
Lay out the pillow trio in the studio before you write to the workshop
In the pillow cover studio you choose a size, an edge (knife, piped or flanged) and a cloth, and watch the pillow settle into a sofa corner. It lists every cut piece and the piping length. Try the square, the lumbar and the texture one after another, and keep the sizes you like for your message.
If the colors are still arguing, order swatches first; the swatch pattern explains how to read them in morning light and lamplight. For the piping itself, matching, contrast or none covers the choice in depth.
Buyer questions: pillows to match a cushion
- A common question
Can you make throw pillows to match my bench cushion or sofa?
The workshop's answerYes. Matching throw pillows, lumbar pillows and scatter cushions are made to any size in the same fabric as a bench cushion, floor cushion or sofa, as covers only if you already have inserts, or filled, with removable, washable zipped covers. Mixed sets work too, such as one pillow in a contrasting color with piping beside another in the bench fabric. Send the sizes, quantity, piping choice, fabric codes and a reference photo in one message for an exact quote.
- A common question
Can the matching pillows be made without piping, and what are they filled with?
The workshop's answerYes. Write 'no piping' or 'not tufted' along with the fabric code from your original order; every color is available for every piece. Pillows come as covers only or filled. The standard fill is shredded foam for a soft, plump feel, or they can be foam-filled like a cushion. Any size works, such as 18 x 18 in, 20 x 20 in, 19¾ x 19¾ in (50 x 50 cm) or 23½ x 23½ in (60 x 60 cm), and adding them to your original package costs less than ordering later.
- A common question
There are two small pillowcases in my floor sofa box. Is something missing?
The workshop's answerNothing is missing. Floor sofa orders usually include two small square zippered pillowcases as a free gift, often in the sofa fabric. They come empty, without inserts, and measure 14 x 14 in, so a 14 x 14 in insert fits. Extra pillowcases can be bought.
- A common question
The gift pillowcases are a different color from my sofa. Was that a mistake?
The workshop's answerNo. The small pillowcases are a gift, not part of the sofa order, so their color can differ from your sofa or from the listing photos. If you'd like them to match, extra small covers in your sofa color can be bought at cost.
- A common question
Can you make round pillows, or even a ball-shaped one?
The workshop's answerOften, yes. Flat round pillows are made to size, for example two 20 in rounds alongside a 22 x 22 in square in matching or contrasting fabric. A 12 in spherical pillow, a 16 in flat round and fringed or cord-edged styles are checked with the production team first. Send the measurements, a reference image and a note saying filled or covers only.
- A common question
Which fabric and piping codes are on the cushion in your listing photo?
The workshop's answerSend a screenshot of the exact photo, since listings show several cushions, and the workshop names both the fabric and the piping code. You can also ask for your order to copy a photo's colorway. If an older photo uses codes that have since been renumbered, write 'same as the first picture'. Sunlight and camera angle can shift a tone slightly, but it is the same fabric.
Pillow questions, answered in plain light
How much bigger should the insert be than the pillow cover?
About an inch for a full look. One order used 25 x 13 in (64 x 33 cm) inserts in 24 x 12 in (61 x 30 cm) lumbar covers. Soft fiber inserts need roughly 1 in (2.5 cm) more than the cover. Measure the bare insert, never its old cover.
Why does my 18 in pillow measure closer to 16 in?
A pillow's size is the cut fabric. Filled plump, the edges pull inward, so the pillow measures smaller from edge to edge. In one real order, four 18 in (46 cm) square pillows measured just under 16 in (41 cm) once stuffed. That is normal, not a short cut.
Should my pillows have piping if the seat cushion does?
Not necessarily. Piping is included and can match the pillow's own fabric, contrast with any code on any chart, or be left off at the same cost. Roughly half of orders choose matching piping and half contrast, and one piped contrast pillow beside a plain one works well.
What is inside a filled throw pillow?
Shredded foam, made on the workshop's own machine. It is softer than solid foam but not very soft, and it sits in a separate insert with its own inner cover, so the outer cover zips off to wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle. Solid foam is possible too.
Can I order matching pillows a year after my cushion?
Yes. Fabric stock is kept, so pillows, bolsters and neck pillows can be made later in the same fabric and color as your first order. Send the sizes, the quantity and the fabric code from that order. Ordering with the cushion is still cheaper, since everything ships in one package.
