---
title: "Lumbar Pillow in Sage with Crimson Shams on a Walnut Bed"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/sage-lumbar-crimson-shams-walnut-headboard/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/"
published: "2026-03-04"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "lumbar pillow, custom throw pillows, cushion cover, custom cushion covers, made to measure cushion"
---

# A sage lumbar pillow before crimson shams: red and green that isn't only for December

*Élodie reads a walnut bed against gray plaster, where a grayed sage and a deep crimson share one woven texture and a brass sconce keeps the peace between them.*

> **The quick answer:** To put red and green on a bed without a holiday look, gray one color down and place the softer one in front. Here a sage woven lumbar pillow sits before crimson euro shams in the same texture, on a walnut headboard against gray plaster, and a berry branch repeats the red in a small dose.

![Sage green woven lumbar pillow before crimson woven shams on a cream bed with walnut headboard and gray plaster wall](https://cushionguide.com/media/lumbar-pillows/sage-lumbar-crimson-shams-walnut-headboard-1600.webp "Sage and crimson in the same woven texture, for a red-and-green bed that is not only for winter.")

## Why the sage stands in front

Red and green are the most argued-over pair in any bedroom. At full strength, side by side, they shout December.

Here the green has been grayed to sage, the soft color of a dried herb, and the red deepened to crimson, close to garnet. Both are woven in the same texture, so they read as one family that disagrees politely. The eye goes to the sage first: the lumbar pillow sits at the front, and a matching sage square stands between the shams like a pale column. The crimson euro shams frame it from behind and keep the set from looking washed out.

Then the room joins in. The walnut headboard is a warm red-brown, a cousin of the crimson. The gray plaster wall is a cool cousin of the sage. The brass sconce under its white shade throws warm light that bridges the two, and the cream linen duvet gives everyone room to breathe. On the walnut nightstand, a ceramic vase holds a red berry branch: crimson again, in a spoonful, so the red is not stranded on the bed. A few books add ordinary life.

These are knife-edge pillows with no piping. A welt would draw a line around each color; without it, sage and crimson meet like brushstrokes in the muted daylight.

My friends, which of your two colors could you soften by one shade?

More shapes live under [lumbar pillows](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/lumbar-pillows/) and [bedroom cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bedroom-cushions/), the weave family is in [linen-look fabrics](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/linen-look-fabrics/), and the Pattern on [matching throw and lumbar pillows](https://cushionguide.com/guides/matching-throw-pillows-lumbar-pillows/) covers sets.

## Copy the red-and-green bed in four moves

1. **Find the pair the room suggests**: Walnut or cherry hints at red; plaster, plants or a gray wall hint at green.
2. **Gray one of them down**: Sage instead of kelly green, or brick instead of fire-engine red. One softened color is enough.
3. **Put the soft color in front**: The lumbar pillow takes the gentle shade; the shams behind take the strong one.
4. **Echo the strong color once, off the bed**: A berry branch, a book spine or a print on the nightstand carries it across the room.

## Pinned by Élodie

Five pins, from the sage lumbar in front to the brass sconce that warms the gray plaster.

1. **Sage woven lumbar**: The softer sage goes in front so the eye meets the gentle color first.
2. **Sage square**: A matching sage square forms a pale column between the crimson shams.
3. **Crimson sham**: Deep crimson frames the sage and stops the set from looking washed out.
4. **Berry branch vase**: Red berries repeat the crimson in a tiny dose on the nightstand.
5. **Brass shaded sconce**: Warm brass bridges the cool sage and gray plaster.

## Buyer questions: spare covers, covers only, and the surprise pillows

**A common question:** Can I buy a second set of covers in another color so I can switch them out?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Covers are sold on their own for exactly that. A full cover set for a sofa, a spare cover for one 79 x 39 in (200 x 100 cm) mattress, covers for a pair of pillows, or a single piece such as an ottoman cover can all be ordered without the fillings.

**A common question:** We already have the inserts. How much do we save by ordering covers only?

**The workshop's answer:** A fair amount. For six velvet box cushions, three at 23 x 24 x 4.5 in (58 x 61 x 11.5 cm) and three at 23 x 20 x 3.5 in (58 x 51 x 9 cm), covers only came to about two-thirds of the price of complete cushions with foam, and the workshop trimmed that further for the set.

**A common question:** My sofa arrived with small pillows in a different color from the photo. Were they part of my order?

**The workshop's answer:** No. Those small decorative pillows are a free gift and aren't normally part of the order. If you'd like them to match, extra small pillow covers in your color can be ordered at cost.

## Stripes or velvet? Neither, in the end

A buyer in the US wrote to the workshop about a modular teddy sofa bought from another brand. They wanted new covers in a different material, cream-and-dark-brown stripes or a mid-brown velvet, and could not decide.

The workshop sent a small batch: a brown velvet, several shades of a soft fabric and one more weave, all for the price of a single sample. With the swatches in hand, they chose neither first idea but a dark brown soft linen, at no extra cost, for the same 39 x 79 in (99 x 201 cm) modules. Production took 4 to 5 business days, delivery 3 to 5 more.

Daylight never lies; your screen sometimes does.

## On the cutting table

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Front | Sage woven lumbar pillow, knife edge, no piping |
| Middle | Sage woven square |
| Back | Two crimson woven euro shams |
| Fabric family | Linen-look weave, one texture in two colors |
| Headboard | Walnut, against gray plaster |
| Light | Brass sconce with a white shade |
| Echo | Red berry branch on the nightstand |
| Best for | Bedrooms that want red and green all year |

> **Tailor's margin:** Put the softer color on the lumbar pillow in front; the stronger one belongs on the shams behind, where it frames instead of shouts.

> Red and green stop looking seasonal when one is grayed down: a sage lumbar pillow in front of crimson shams reads grown-up in July.
>
> — Élodie

## Questions buyers ask next

### Should a lumbar pillow have piping?

It depends on the look you want. Knife-edge pillows with no piping let two colors meet softly, as the sage and crimson do here. Piping draws an outline, which suits tailored rooms and single-color sets.

### How do I keep a red and green bed from looking like Christmas?

Gray one of the colors down, keep both in the same texture, and let wood and brass sit between them. Sage and crimson on walnut reads as an autumn woodland, not wrapping paper.

### What insert size makes a lumbar pillow look full?

One a little larger than the cover. Lumbar pillows of 24 x 12 in (61 x 30 cm) have been made with 25 x 13 in (64 x 33 cm) inserts, which fills the corners for a plumper look.

### Why order swatches before recovering pillows or a sofa?

Woven colors shift with light and screens. One buyer torn between stripes and velvet chose a dark brown soft linen once the swatches arrived. A small batch of samples costs far less than a set of wrong covers.

## Related at the atelier

- [Lumbar Pillow in Burgundy with Self Piping on a Plank Bed](https://cushionguide.com/readings/burgundy-piped-lumbar-forest-green-plank-headboard/): A burgundy lumbar pillow with self piping ages well on a lived-in bed, because the deep color hides small marks and the matching welt keeps a crisp outline without a pale edge to soil.
- [Lumbar Pillow in Crimson Slub With Wide Red Stripe Squares](https://cushionguide.com/readings/crimson-slub-lumbar-wide-red-stripe-squares-oak/): Spend on the lumbar pillow, because it sits in front and is seen up close, where a slubbed weave shows its grain.
- [Lumbar Pillow in Butter Yellow with Sage Corduroy Squares](https://cushionguide.com/readings/butter-yellow-flanged-lumbar-sage-corduroy-squares/): A butter yellow lumbar pillow against a terracotta wall needs one cool partner, and here two sage corduroy squares do that job.
- [Can I replace just one sofa cover instead of the whole set?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/replace-single-floor-sofa-cover/): Yes: a single floor sofa cover can be bought on its own, so one broken zipper or torn base doesn't mean a new set.
- [Can I order an extra set of covers with my floor sofa so I can swap colors?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/spare-cover-set-with-floor-sofa-order/): Yes, you can order an extra cover set with your floor sofa: buy the sofa from its listing and the workshop sends a separate custom link for covers in the color you choose.
- [Can you sew just a new cover for my trapezoid or tapered cushion?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/trapezoid-tapered-cushion-cover-only/): Yes, a cover alone can be made for a trapezoid or tapered cushion you already have.
- [Matching throw pillows and lumbars to a seat cushion, color by color](https://cushionguide.com/guides/matching-throw-pillows-lumbar-pillows/)
- [What to measure for a custom daybed mattress cover](https://cushionguide.com/guides/daybed-mattress-cover-measurements/)

*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/sage-lumbar-crimson-shams-walnut-headboard/