---
title: "Lumbar Pillow in Red Cabana Stripe: Four Stripe Widths, One Bed"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/red-cabana-stripe-lumbar-mixed-stripe-widths/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/"
published: "2026-01-24"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "lumbar pillow, custom throw pillows, custom size cushion, made to measure cushion, custom cushion covers"
---

# A red cabana-stripe lumbar pillow, and three narrower stripes that let it lead

*Four stripes share one bed and one cream ground. The loudest sits in front, the way an awning announces the beach from a block away.*

> **The quick answer:** Put the widest stripe in front: a bold cabana-stripe lumbar pillow reads from across the room, while finer stripes behind it reward a closer look. Keep every stripe on the same cream ground so four patterns behave like one family. Zippered covers let you change the set later, and spare covers are sold separately in any listed color.

![Red and cream wide-stripe lumbar pillow before navy pinstripe, mustard and coral striped squares on a linen bed](https://cushionguide.com/media/lumbar-pillows/red-cabana-stripe-lumbar-mixed-stripe-widths-1600.webp "Four stripe widths on one bed, from navy pinstripe to red cabana stripe, show how scale changes a stripe's mood.")

## Four stripes on one cream ground

The red stripe is the first thing you see in this bedroom, and it is meant to be. A lumbar pillow in wide red and cream cabana stripe sits at the front of the bed, knife-edged, no piping. Behind it stand three squares: navy pinstripe, mustard medium stripe, coral with a thin gray line.

Read them left to right, my friends, and you are reading a scale. The navy pinstripe is so fine it acts almost like a solid. Mustard is the bridge; coral is a softer cousin of the red. The cabana stripe holds the front edge, because big pattern carries across a room while fine pattern waits for you to come closer.

What keeps it from turning into a circus is the ground. Every cloth here is woven on the same cream, and the cream repeats in the linen duvet. The headboard is upholstered linen, and the wall behind is sage painted wainscot. That cool green does real work: it keeps a warm, busy stack from overheating in the raking late light. Let one color speak and the others listen. Here, red speaks.

More shapes and sizes live under [lumbar pillows](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/lumbar-pillows/) and [bedroom cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bedroom-cushions/); the cloth itself is in [striped cotton and ticking](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/striped-cotton-and-ticking/), and the [pillow cover studio](https://cushionguide.com/studio/pillow-cover-studio/) lets you try a lumbar size first. Which stripe on your bed is allowed to be the loud one?

## Pinned by Élodie: pinstripe to cabana

Five pins, following the stripes from finest to boldest and ending on the green wall that cools them.

1. **Red cabana stripe lumbar**: The widest stripe goes in front because large pattern reads from across the room.
2. **Navy pinstripe**: The finest stripe of the four, quiet enough to act almost as a solid.
3. **Mustard medium stripe**: A medium stripe bridges the pinstripe and the bold cabana stripe.
4. **Coral stripe**: Coral with a gray line is a softer relative of the red lumbar.
5. **Sage wainscot**: A cool green wall keeps a warm, busy stack from overheating.

## What the bed borrows from the beach, and what it leaves outside

Cabana stripes grew up on beach tents and awnings, where a pattern has to read from the sand. A bedroom can borrow four of their habits and leave one outside.

| Outdoor habit | Bring it in? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| An awning-wide stripe that reads from far away | Yes | One bold stripe up front tells the eye where to land |
| Stripes on one shared ground | Yes | Cream under every pattern keeps four stripes in one family |
| Covers that zip off | Yes | Wash them on a gentle cycle and put them straight back |
| A spare set for the season | Yes | Swap colors in spring, or while one set is in the wash |
| Stiff cloth built for rain | No | A pillow at cheek height wants an indoor striped cotton |

## A futon that became a sofa, in two zippered covers

A buyer in the US wrote to the workshop about a futon that no longer served as a bed. They wanted a proper everyday sofa, and the old mattress held good wool filling, so they asked for covers only: a seat cover 72 x 23 in (183 x 58 cm) with 4 in (10 cm) of fillable depth, and a back cover 72 x 21 in (183 x 53 cm) with 3 in (7.5 cm).

They chose linen, then worried it would not survive daily sitting. The workshop explained that the cloth is a linen and polyester blend picked for seat cushions. After ordering, they realized the covers needed ties at all four corners to hold them to the frame, and the ties were added to the same order.

That is outdoor thinking at its best: keep what is sound, put a new skin over it, tie it down.

## Spare covers and washing: three questions

**A common question:** Could I buy a second set of covers in a different color, so I can change the look later?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Extra cover sets are sold separately in any color on the listing, so you can switch colors with the season or keep a spare set in the closet.

**A common question:** Do the covers come off, can they go in the washing machine, and what are they made of?

**The workshop's answer:** They zip off and machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle. That set was 100% polyester plush corduroy, and the fabrics come from a mill certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100 (03.T.3239).

**A common question:** For my floor sofa, can I get a second set of covers in another fabric, not just another color?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Replacement sets can be made in velvet, linen, teddy bouclé or corduroy. A second set also means one can go through the wash while the other stays on the sofa.

> A lumbar pillow in the widest stripe belongs in front: bold pattern reads from across the room, and finer stripes behind it reward a closer look.
>
> — Élodie

> **Tailor's margin:** Striped pillows mix well when one ground color runs under all of them: four stripes on the same cream read as a family, not a fight.

## The stripe set, spec by spec

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Pillows in the photo | One lumbar and three squares, knife edge, no piping |
| Stripe scale | Navy pinstripe, mustard medium stripe, coral with a gray line, red cabana stripe |
| Shared ground | Cream, repeated in the linen duvet |
| Fabric family | Striped cotton |
| Closure | Zippered, removable covers |
| Care | Machine wash at 86°F (30°C), gentle cycle |
| Spare covers | Sold separately in any listed color |
| Best for | Beds against a cool wall color; guest rooms with a holiday mood |

## Questions buyers ask next

### Which pillow goes in front when you mix several striped pillows?

The one with the widest stripe. Bold pattern reads from across a room, so it holds the front row, while finer stripes such as a pinstripe sit behind, where they are seen up close. Keep all of them on one shared ground color.

### Can outdoor-style stripes work on a bed?

Borrow the look rather than the cloth. The awning-width stripe and the shared cream ground come from outdoor style; for a pillow at cheek height, an indoor striped cotton with a zip-off cover is the kinder choice.

### How do I order new covers for filling I already own?

Measure the filling's length, depth and fillable thickness, and say where ties or zippers go. One covers-only futon order listed a 72 x 23 in (183 x 58 cm) seat with 4 in (10 cm) of fillable depth and ties at all four corners.

## Related at the atelier

- [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.
- [Lumbar Pillow Makeover: Navy Ticking with Piped Shams on Oak](https://cushionguide.com/readings/navy-ticking-lumbar-piped-navy-shams-oak-bed/): To make over a bed around one lumbar pillow, choose the stripe first, then order solid shams in the exact navy of the stripe's dark line.
- [Lumbar Pillow Piping: Why This Blue Stripe Goes Without](https://cushionguide.com/readings/royal-blue-striped-lumbar-powder-blue-bedroom/): A striped lumbar pillow usually looks best with no piping or with self piping cut from the same stripe, because a contrast cord draws a second line around a pattern that is already all lines.
- [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.
- [How wide are the stripes on your striped fabrics?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/striped-fabric-stripe-widths/): Stripe widths depend on the fabric code: N01 has a bolder 0.55 in (1.4 cm) stripe, N02 a finer 0.28 in (0.7 cm) stripe, and N30 and the codes after it carry wide stripes of roughly 2 to 2.4 in (5-6…
- [How can I match a new cushion to pillows or furniture I already have?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/match-cushion-fabric-to-existing-furniture/): Order physical samples of your shortlisted codes and hold them against your pillows, storage bins or paint at home, in your own light; that is the reliable way to match existing furniture.
- [Matching throw pillows and lumbars to a seat cushion, color by color](https://cushionguide.com/guides/matching-throw-pillows-lumbar-pillows/)
- [How to order a custom cushion size that isn't in the size menu](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-size-cushion-not-on-menu/)

*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/readings/red-cabana-stripe-lumbar-mixed-stripe-widths/