A Reading by HarlanBolster Pillows
A sage bolster pillow across a taupe headboard, and the fastening question it raises
Harlan writes a letter about one sage linen-look bolster on a made bed: where its zipper belongs, when a bolster needs ties, and when it needs nothing but the headboard.
SaveThe quick answer
A bolster pillow laid across a bed rarely needs ties or a non-slip base, because the headboard behind it and the mattress beneath it hold it in place. The fastening worth deciding is the zipper: note where you want it, away from where your back rests, and size the bolster a little shorter than the mattress width.
High Point ·
My friend,
A letter about one sage roll and a taupe headboard
You asked me once what the smallest cushion in a house has to teach. I would point you to this one: a single sage bolster laid along a taupe upholstered headboard, on a made bed under a gray-green waffle bedspread, a white mushroom lamp glowing on the nightstand.
One roll instead of a row of square pillows. That choice gives the bed a low, calm line, and it suits a palette this quiet. The sage, a linen-look weave, sits a shade lighter than the bedspread, so it lifts off the bed without shouting. The warm taupe behind it makes the cool green look fresher. Even the lamp plays along: low and rounded, it repeats the bolster's soft cylinder at the bedside.
Look at the body of the thing. Soft creases run along it. That tells you the fill gives a little, which is what you want if you mean to lean back and read. A rock-hard roll looks smart and punishes your spine. Then look at the ends. The piped sage end stops short of the mattress edge, so the bolster sits inside the line of the headboard. Make it a little shorter than the mattress width and it will always look placed rather than dropped.
Now to the question folks write about most, keeping it where it belongs. On a bed like this, you hardly need to try. The headboard is behind it and the mattress is under it. No ties, no grip base. What you do need to decide is the zipper. Put it where your back never rests and say so in your order notes; the zipper placement pattern shows the usual spots. A removable zippered cover is what lets you wash it at all.
Ties and a non-slip base earn their keep elsewhere, on seats that slide and backs that tip, and the ties and grip pattern covers those. Buy the cushion once, cry once. Where does your bolster spend its days?
Pinned by Harlan
Follow the pins from the piped sage end to the relaxed fill, the taupe headboard, the gray-green bedspread and the mushroom lamp that echoes the roll.
- Piped sage end
The bolster stops short of the mattress edge so it sits inside the headboard line.
- Relaxed fill
Soft wrinkles show a giving fill, better for leaning on to read than a rock-hard roll.
- Taupe headboard
A warm taupe backdrop makes the cool sage look fresher.
- Gray-green bedspread
The bedspread is a shade darker than the bolster, so it lifts off the bed without contrast.
- Mushroom table lamp
A low rounded lamp repeats the bolster's soft cylinder shape.
- Piped sage endThe bolster stops short of the mattress edge so it sits inside the headboard line.
- Relaxed fillSoft wrinkles show a giving fill, better for leaning on to read than a rock-hard roll.
- Taupe headboardA warm taupe backdrop makes the cool sage look fresher.
- Gray-green bedspreadThe bedspread is a shade darker than the bolster, so it lifts off the bed without contrast.
- Mushroom table lampA low rounded lamp repeats the bolster's soft cylinder shape.
Does a bolster need ties? It depends where it lives
| Where the bolster lives | Ties or grip | Zipper |
|---|---|---|
| Across a bed, against a headboard | Not needed; the headboard holds it | On the side away from your back |
| Back of a floor-bed loveseat | Usually held by the frame behind it | Facing the wall |
| Ends of a daybed or window seat | The side walls do the holding | Underneath or facing the wall |
A toddler floor bed that grew into a reading loveseat
A parent in the US wrote to the workshop about a wooden toddler floor bed they wanted to turn into a small loveseat and reading nook. The platform measured 53.5 x 29.5 in (136 x 75 cm) and the frame stood 21 in (53 cm) high.
They weighed two layouts. One was a five-piece set: a seat, two back cushions and two side bolsters. The other was simpler: a seat and a single back bolster, in linen with contrast piping. The shop confirmed both would fit and explained that the five-piece version costs about double but looks fuller. It also told them something worth pinning to the wall: only the cushions' own dimensions matter, not the height of the frame.
They settled on 4 in (10 cm) of thickness in the firm foam the shop calls 32-density. A single back bolster on a floor bed is held by the frame behind it, the way the headboard holds this sage one. The bolster sizing pattern helps with the diameter, and the bolster pillow atlas with the rest.
On the cutting table: the sage bed bolster
| Piece | Bolster pillow |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Sage green linen-look weave, code 922 |
| Piping | Self piping at the ends |
| Edge | Rolled |
| Fill | Relaxed, with soft creases along the body |
| Length | A little shorter than the mattress width |
| Fastening | None needed on a bed; zipper placed away from your back |
| Setting | Taupe upholstered headboard, gray-green waffle bedspread |
| Best for | A calm bed you like to read in |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Harlan’s workshop
The best cushions I have known began with somebody asking one more question. Ask yours here. — Harlan
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.
Across the workbench: covers, sizes and a gift
- A common question
I already have the foam. Can you make just the covers?
The workshop's answerYes. Order from the cover-only listing, pick the nearest size and write your exact foam sizes, for example a back of 22 x 16 x 5 in (56 x 41 x 13 cm) and a seat of 21.5 x 21.5 x 6 in (55 x 55 x 15 cm). Covers cost far less than full cushions; a corduroy window-seat cover for 82 x 32 x 5 in foam came to roughly a third of the price with foam.
- A common question
Which of my numbers is the width and which is the length?
The workshop's answerThe shop calls width the distance from the front edge to the back edge, the depth you sit on, and length the distance side to side across the front, usually the longer side. You can also just label your numbers, such as 20 in deep x 60 in across, and it will be made correctly.
- A common question
The pillowcases that came with my sofa are a different color. Did something go wrong?
The workshop's answerNo. The pillowcases are a free gift, not part of the sofa order, and their colors can differ from the sofa. Matching covers can be bought as extras.
A bolster laid across a bed needs no ties or grip base; the headboard holds it, so the only fastening to decide is where the zipper goes.
Harlan
Questions buyers ask next
Does a bolster laid across a bed need ties?
Usually not. A bolster across a bed rests against the headboard and on the mattress, and those two hold it in place. Ties matter more on seat cushions that slide forward and back cushions that tip, such as chair pads and swing cushions.
How long should a bed bolster be compared with the mattress?
A little shorter than the mattress width. The sage bolster here stops short of the mattress edge so it sits inside the line of the headboard, which looks deliberate. A bolster wider than the bed hangs over the sides and looks borrowed.
Should a reading bolster be firm or soft?
Soft enough to give. The creases along this sage bolster show a fill that yields a little, which is comfortable to lean on with a book in hand. A very hard roll holds its shape in photographs but presses into your back.
Sit well. — Harlan
