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A Reading by ÉlodieLumbar Pillows

A burgundy lumbar pillow and striped squares: why every edge on this bed is a knife edge

Nothing on this bed has a boxed side, and that is the point. Soft knife edges belong where heads rest; square boxes belong under the body.

The quick answer

A lumbar pillow on a bed looks best with a knife edge, where front and back panels meet in one seam, because it softens against sheets and a headboard. Here a burgundy linen-look lumbar leads two striped squares in the same burgundy. Box edges, with a measured depth, belong on mattresses and seat cushions instead.

Read by

The Colorist of New OrleansPublished 4 min read

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Pinned by Élodie at the headboard

Five pins, from the plain lumbar in front to the brass sconce that gives the burgundy its evening glow.

Pinned: Burgundy linen-look lumbar pillow with burgundy-and-cream striped squares on a cream bed, walnut panel headboard
  1. Burgundy lumbar

    A plain solid in front keeps the busy stripes behind from crowding the bed.

  2. Burgundy square

    The solid square sits between the stripes so solids form the center column.

  3. Burgundy stripe square

    The stripe carries the same burgundy as the solid, so it reads as a lighter version of one color.

  4. Brass sconce

    A shaded brass sconce gives the warm, library-like glow.

  5. Leather-bound books

    Old books on walnut push the room toward a classic study mood.

  1. Burgundy lumbarA plain solid in front keeps the busy stripes behind from crowding the bed.
  2. Burgundy squareThe solid square sits between the stripes so solids form the center column.
  3. Burgundy stripe squareThe stripe carries the same burgundy as the solid, so it reads as a lighter version of one color.
  4. Brass sconceA shaded brass sconce gives the warm, library-like glow.
  5. Leather-bound booksOld books on walnut push the room toward a classic study mood.

Solids in the center, stripes on the flanks

Stripes are chatty, and on a bed they can talk over everyone. Here they are kept to the flanks. Two burgundy-and-cream striped squares sit at the ends, a solid burgundy square holds the center, and a plain burgundy lumbar pillow lies in front, so the eye lands on calm first.

The trick is that stripe and solid share one burgundy, deep as old claret. The stripe reads as a lighter version of the same color rather than a second color. Choose the stripe first, then match the solid to the stripe's darker line; go the other way and you will hunt forever. The linen-look weave has a dry, matte hand that keeps a dark red from turning glossy.

Every edge is a knife edge: front and back panels meet in one seam, with no side wall and no piping. On a bed that is right, my friends. A knife edge sinks into cream sheets and leans on a headboard without a hard corner. A box edge stands up straight, which is exactly what you want under a body and exactly what you do not want against a sleeping cheek.

The room does the rest. Walnut paneling, a brass sconce with a white shade and leather-bound books on the nightstand make a library glow, a warm side light that pulls burgundy toward brown at dusk. For the rest of the bed, see bedroom cushions and pairing throw and lumbar pillows.

Is there a stripe on your bed that could lend its darkest line to a solid?

Four edges and where each belongs

EdgeHow it is sewnWhere it belongs
Knife edgeTwo panels, one seam, no side wallThrow and lumbar pillows on beds and sofas
Box edgeTop, bottom and a side strip of set depthSeat cushions, mattresses, window seats
Rounded cornersBox or knife edge with curved cornersFrames that curve at the corners
Angled cornersCorners cut to a measured angleBay windows and tapered benches
A real project

Two mattress covers that arrived nearly 4 inches too shallow

A buyer who already owned their mattresses ordered two empty covers for 9 7/8 x 35 3/8 x 74 3/4 in (25 x 90 x 190 cm) mattresses, plus filled teddy backrests. The corduroy covers arrived only 5 7/8 in (15 cm) deep instead of 9 7/8 in (25 cm).

The workshop remade them. It sent one replacement cover first, then the second when the buyer asked for both, with the measurements checked before sewing.

Here is the lesson for anyone who thinks in pillows. The depth, the gusset, is the number most often wrong on a box cover. A knife-edge pillow has no depth to get wrong; a mattress cover is mostly depth. Measuring a daybed mattress cover walks through it.

Covers, custom pillows and foam, asked and answered

  1. A common question

    We already have the insert. Can I buy just the cover?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Bench cushion covers are sold on their own through a covers-only listing, and floor sofas have a replacement-covers-only listing with no foam. The covers zip off and wash, and many buyers use them to change color or to replace a single worn cover.

  2. A common question

    Will you make pillows in a size that is not on the menu?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. The workshop asks whether you want them foam-filled or soft like a regular pillow, and wants a drawing with sizes for any custom shape. Past examples include foam-filled 20 x 80 in (51 x 203 cm) and 20 x 65 in (51 x 165 cm) pillows with piping, and four 18 in (46 cm) squares made to match a trapezoid cushion.

  3. A common question

    What density is the foam inside your bench cushions?

    The workshop's answer

    Standard-grade high-density polyurethane foam at 32 kg/m³, about 2 lb/ft³. The fabrics come from OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified mills.

On the cutting table

PillowsOne lumbar, one solid square, two striped squares
FabricLinen-look weave in burgundy; burgundy-and-cream stripe
Codes in the photo918 solid; N15 stripe
EdgeKnife edge on every pillow
PipingNone
LayoutSolids in the center column, stripes on the flanks
RoomWalnut panel headboard, brass sconce, cream bedding
Fill optionsFoam-filled or soft pillow fill
Best forTraditional bedrooms and study-like guest rooms

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Have it made

Have this made — ask Élodie’s workshop

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.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
Linen-look weave in burgundy; burgundy-and-cream stripe
Foam
Foam-filled or soft pillow fill
Piping
None
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

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Choose the striped pillow first, then match the solid lumbar to the stripe's darkest line, and the pattern reads as a lighter version of one color.

Élodie
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Questions buyers ask next

Why do bed pillows usually have knife edges?

A knife edge has no side wall, so the pillow softens where it meets sheets and a headboard and leans without a hard corner. Box edges stand upright, which suits seats and mattresses more than a place where you rest your head.

How do I mix a striped pillow with a solid one on a bed?

Keep them in one color. When the stripe carries the same shade as the solid, the pattern reads as a lighter version of that color. Put the solids in the center or in front and the stripes at the ends.

Can a lumbar pillow be foam-filled instead of soft?

Yes. Custom pillows can be foam-filled for a firm, tailored rectangle or filled like a regular soft pillow. Foam holds a crisp shape on a daybed; soft fill suits a bed where you lean back to read.

What depth should I give for a mattress cover?

The actual thickness of the mattress, measured at the side. A cover cut to the wrong depth will not close or will bag. One buyer's covers came 5 7/8 in (15 cm) deep for 9 7/8 in (25 cm) mattresses and had to be remade.

With color and care — Élodie