Selecting pillows for a bed can set off domestic disputes unlike any other item in decor. “Why do we need so many useless pillows on the bed?” We hear this from many spouses and we get it! But adding layers of plush pillows using colours and patterns will up your game in the bedroom.

What Size Pillows Should I Buy?

The idea is to layer in a mix of colour and pattern to pick up or introduce accent colours to tie the room together.

Here is the master bedroom from our Old Mill project. Notice how the layers of pattern add to the story without being matchy. The vertical Euro pillows hide the sleeping pillows which often aren’t so perfect after a few night’s sleep, but the bed looks pulled together and elegant.

Another from that project is the guest room. The same principle applies. Place the sleeping pillows at the back and layer pretty pillows in front.

In this young boy’s room we did the same. Hint: if they have a say in their room’s decor they are more likely to help keep it tidy.

A more relaxed version is this dive-into-ready bed from Anthropologie.

Below is a beautiful elegant bedroom from the portfolio from Les Ensemblier.

So here’s a rough guide to help you get started.

Below, we show a pillow plan for three sizes of beds to show the size and number of pillows we like to use when styling a bed. You can stack them for a modern hotel look or stand them up, layering from the headboard forward for a more traditional look.

We’ve created a Pin for quick reference so go ahead and click on the image to save it to one of you boards.