A Reading by ÉlodieLumbar Pillows
A petrol teal linen-look lumbar pillow under trailing pothos: how the cloth feels, wears and washes
The questions came first, so they go first here. Then the photograph: a teal that sits between leaf and linen, and a weave you can read with your fingertips.
SaveThe quick answer
A linen-look lumbar pillow has a dry, matte, lightly slubbed hand that reads like linen from across the room, and a zippered cover that comes off for washing. Unzip and remove any non-slip base before washing a cover, and size a cover for a soft-filled insert about 1 in larger each way.
Buyer questions
- A common question
What are the dimensions of the replacement sofa covers?
The workshop's answerThe set has two floor seat covers of 78 x 39 x 6.5 in (200 x 100 x 17 cm) and two L-shaped backrest covers of 39 x 39 x 15 in (100 x 100 x 39 cm). Covers can also be made to custom sizes.
- A common question
My flat cushion covers tore after I washed them. Can I get replacements?
The workshop's answerYes. After seeing photos, the workshop sent two replacement non-slip bottom parts free. The tears came from washing the non-slip base together with the cover, so unzip it and take it off before the next wash.
- A common question
A backrest insert still smells of cigarette smoke after airing. What can I do?
The workshop's answerWashing the cover took the smell out of the fabric, but the insert was too big for a home washing machine, so the workshop sent a replacement filling for that backrest. Covers can be washed several times to lift odors.
Now, the reading
The hand, read from a photograph
Now the photograph. A white bed, a light oak panel headboard with a ledge, and a pothos trailing over that ledge from a terracotta pot. A cane basket on the wall. In the middle of it all, a petrol teal lumbar pillow with a matching square set squarely behind it.
Petrol teal is not a random choice. It sits halfway between the leaf green of the pothos and the blue-white of the bedding, so it belongs to both. Hold a paint chip of each and the teal falls right into the gap. The terracotta pots do the opposite job: warm clay against cool teal, the counter-color that keeps the room from going cold.
Now touch it with your eyes. A linen-look weave has a dry, matte face with small slubs in the yarn. It does not shine the way velvet does; it takes daylight evenly, so the teal looks the same from the center of the pillow to its edge. Daylight never lies; your screen sometimes does, so judge a teal like this on a swatch by a window.
The cushions leave texture to the cane basket on the wall, which is why nothing here feels busy. The arrangement is tidy on purpose: the lumbar level and centered, the square squarely behind, knife edges, no piping. A clean room wants a clean stack.
The care notes came straight from the messages above. Covers wash; a smell can wash out of a cover and still live in a big insert; and anything with a non-slip base should come apart before the machine.
To copy the room, my friends, pick a pillow color midway between your plants and your walls. The linen-look weaves are the place to look for those in-between shades, and real linen versus linen-look explains what the label means. For the washing itself, see how to wash cushion covers.
What is growing nearest your bed?
Pinned by Élodie
Five pins, from the teal lumbar up to the clay pots that warm it.
- Petrol teal lumbar
Teal lies between the pothos green and the blue-white bedding, so it belongs to both.
- Teal square
Set squarely behind the lumbar, the square gives a tidy, level stack suited to a clean room.
- Pothos on headboard
Trailing leaves over the ledge soften the straight line of the oak panel.
- Cane wall basket
Cane adds woven texture on the wall that the cushions deliberately leave out.
- Terracotta pots
Warm clay is the counter-color to cool teal.
- Petrol teal lumbarTeal lies between the pothos green and the blue-white bedding, so it belongs to both.
- Teal squareSet squarely behind the lumbar, the square gives a tidy, level stack suited to a clean room.
- Pothos on headboardTrailing leaves over the ledge soften the straight line of the oak panel.
- Cane wall basketCane adds woven texture on the wall that the cushions deliberately leave out.
- Terracotta potsWarm clay is the counter-color to cool teal.
Care notes, in the order they matter
- Unzip the cover and take off any non-slip base before washing; washed together, covers tore in the same spots
- Wash a cover more than once to lift a smell out of the fabric
- An insert too big for a home machine is not washed like a cover; ask about a replacement filling
- For a soft-filled insert, cut the cover about 1 in larger in each dimension so it is not tight
- Ordering covers only? Send all three numbers, like 78 x 39 x 6.5 in, not just length and width
A crash pad, sized one inch up
A parent in the US wrote to the workshop about a sensory crash pad for a playroom, a soft-filled square of about 60 x 60 x 9 in (152 x 152 x 23 cm). What they wanted was a removable, washable cover in a light oatmeal.
The workshop sized the cover at 61 x 61 x 10 in (155 x 155 x 25 cm), a full inch larger each way, so the soft insert could go in without a fight, and planned a long zipper to close it. The linen chart went over for the color, with one question back: piping or not?
A soft insert pushes out against its cover. Give it an inch and the cover sits smooth instead of drum-tight. More builds like this live under play tents and crash pads.
- Sizes
- Insert about 60 x 60 x 9 in (152 x 152 x 23 cm); cover 61 x 61 x 10 in (155 x 155 x 25 cm)
The lesson: Add about 1 in to each dimension of a soft-filled insert so the cover isn't tight.
On the cutting table
| Front pillow | Lumbar pillow, knife edge, petrol teal linen-look |
|---|---|
| Behind it | Matching teal square, set squarely behind |
| Frame | Two cream euro shams on a white duvet |
| Piping | None |
| Hand | Dry, matte, lightly slubbed weave |
| Care | Zippered cover; remove any non-slip base before washing |
| Cover sizing | About 1 in larger each way for a soft-filled insert |
| Best for | A bright bedroom with plants and light oak |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Élodie’s workshop
Color is easier to settle in a conversation than on a screen. Tell the workshop about the room and the light it gets, and the fabric choice follows. — 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.
Size a cushion cover for a soft-filled insert about 1 in larger each way: a 60 x 60 x 9 in crash pad got a 61 x 61 x 10 in cover.
Élodie
Questions buyers ask next
What does linen-look fabric feel like?
Dry and matte, with a slight slub in the weave. It takes daylight evenly instead of shining, so a color like petrol teal looks the same from the middle of the pillow to its edge. The Pattern on real linen versus linen-look explains the label.
Why choose petrol teal for a bedroom with plants?
Petrol teal sits between leaf green and cool white bedding, so it links the plants to the bed. Warm terracotta pots then act as the counter-color. Pick your pillow color midway between your plants and your walls.
Can I order a cover for an insert I already own?
Yes. Measure the insert, then size the cover. For a soft-filled insert, go about 1 in larger in each dimension, the way a 60 x 60 x 9 in crash pad was covered at 61 x 61 x 10 in.
Should a lumbar pillow have piping?
It is a choice. This petrol teal lumbar and its square have knife edges and no piping, which keeps a pared-back bed calm. The workshop will ask whether you want piping, so decide before you send your sizes.
With color and care — Élodie
Other lumbars, other hands: velvet, stripe, corduroy
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
