3 Ways to Arrange Pillows on Your Bed

You should be spending at least eight hours sleeping in your bed each day, but that means there are 16 hours in the day you are not! Your bedroom is the perfect place to show who you are when it comes to personal style. Making and decorating your bed is one way to do just that. And, deciding how to arrange pillows on a bed can help to reflect the style you love! 

Types of Pillows

Not all pillows are created equal. It’s important to know that pillows come in a variety of shapes and sizes, all of which allow you to play with your design and find a style that’s all your own. 

Sleeping Pillow

Sleeping pillows are the most generic. They are the typical rectangular pillows that most people use to sleep throughout the night. Despite their name, they can also be used in decoration. 

Sleeping pillows come in three sizes: standard, queen, and king. When sitting on their side, all three types are 20 inches high, but the biggest difference is in their length. A standard pillow is 26 inches, a queen is 30 inches, and a king is 36 inches.

Decorative Pillow

Decorative pillows for a bed come in many shapes and sizes, but square is the most common and typically comes in four main sizes. You’ll find 16-inch, 18-inch, and 20-inch pillows. And, the largest decorative pillow is a 25-inch square also referred to as a euro pillow.

Boudoir Pillow

A boudoir pillow, also called a lumbar pillow, is rectangular in shape and is 12 x 16 inches in size or bigger. 

Neckroll or Bolster Pillow

There are also neckroll or bolster pillows that can be used as decorative pillows for a bed. These pillows are long cylinders. 

Three Styles of Decoration

When it comes to arranging pillows on your bed, there are three traditional styles of decoration. You can shift and modify them to fit your own unique style. 

These styles of pillow arrangement work for all bed shapes. If you’re looking for a king bed pillow arrangement or a twin bed pillow arrangement, the concept remains the same. Simply scale the pillow size and amount to match the size of the bed. 

Pyramid

This layout of pillows starts at your headboard with the largest pillows stretching across the bed. This can be in the form of multiple euro pillows or king or queen sleeping pillows. Just like a pyramid, the next layer of pillows should be slightly shorter than the back row and should not take up the full length of the bed. With each layer, the number of pillows should be reduced, until finally, your last layer consists of a single pillow. 

When choosing the pyramid way of arranging your pillows, consider using a mix of pillow sizes and shapes. For the point of your pyramid, try using a boudoir, bolster, or 18-inch decorative pillow. Or, to keep it simple, you can use several of the same fluffy, overstuffed euro pillows in layers in a pyramid design as well.

Columns

When decorating in a column style, rather than decorating the bed as a whole, you mentally split your bed down the center to make two separate columns of pillows. Typically those columns match each other, but depending on your style and the design of your room, you can mix and match. 

For example, when decorating your bed, start with two euro pillows propped up against the headboard. The next layer of pillows could be two queen or standard sleeping pillows centered in front of the euro pillows. To finish off this look, add a small 16-inch decorative pillow or boudoir pillow in front of the sleeping pillows.

Practical

Decorative pillows for a bed look great, but often they can feel overwhelming, useless, and in the way—especially when you are ready to go to sleep. Using a practical pillow design reduces the amount of confusion and headache from dealing with extra pillows while still giving you an eye-catching bed. 

Practical pillow decoration utilizes your sleeping pillows, so make sure you have pillows that match the size of your bed. For example, queen pillows for a queen bed and king pillows for a king bed, etc. Rather than propping them up against your headboard, lay them down flat. If you use more than one pillow when sleeping, simply stack the sleeping pillows on top of each other two or even three high. These sleeping pillows become the foundation of your bed decor, so you might consider using neutral tones for your pillowcases. 

This style is meant for practical use rather than decoration, so one additional layer is all that is suggested. Something as simple as a single decorative pillow that adds a strong pop of color can be just enough to make this style work. Or, simply stacking your sleeping pillows in pretty pillowcases works well too!

Toss On A Cozy Blanket

Sew Sweet Minky Designs has a blanket that will work perfectly on your bed as well. Our blankets are handmade and add a feeling of warmth and comfort to any decorative style. Our adult blankets fit a queen-sized bed or you can even choose to use a smaller child-sized blanket as a decorative accent throw. When you’re considering how to place pillows on your bed, you can’t go wrong when accenting them with Sew Sweet Minky Designs.