Can you have too many pillows on a bed?
Of course not! Whether you have two or ten, how your arrange pillows on a bed can dictate you bedroom’s style. A bed layered with pillows will really stand out as the centerpiece it deserves to be.
If you’re excited to customize your bed down to the last cushion but don’t know where to begin, we’ve curated this list of 35 different ways to arrange pillows on a bed.
- Bed Decoration Basics
- A Quick Guide To Pillows
- How To Arrange Pillow On A King Bed
- How To Arrange Pillow On A Queen Bed
- How To Arrange Pillow On A Full Bed
- How To Arrange Pillow On A Twin Bed
Bed Decoration Basics
There’s more to decorating your bed than just tossing on a bunch of pillows and calling it a day. Before you bring home all new cushions, consider these design elements.
Headboards
Available in a variety of materials and designs, beds with headboards offer a lot of creative freedom. Here are a few tips to consider when incorporating them into your style.
- If you have an open-frame metal headboard, stick to a small number of pillows. This highlights the headboard’s metal framework.
- Throw pillows usually pair best with simple, consistently shaped headboards. Continuity makes it easier to incorporate into the bedroom decor.
- Don’t smother your headboard in pillows. You’ll be wasting an opportunity to show it off. Headboards create a layered look if you cascade smaller cushions in front of it.
- Your bed doesn’t have a headboard? Try stacking larger pillows on top of each other and propping decorative pillows against them.
Color Schemes
Arranging pillows on a bed is about more than just how many you have. The color, shape, and fabric of each pillow or sham is an opportunity to make a statement. As we learned in our post How to Mix and Match Bedroom Furniture, mixing and matching pillows with contrasting textures and colors helps create a cohesive feel. You can even build around pillows you absolutely love.
A Quick Guide to Pillows
Pillows come in a variety of shapes and sizes but can usually be separated into two categories— sleeping pillows and decorative pillows. This size chart from matouk.com expertly breaks down the standard sizes for each type of pillow.
Courtesy of matouk.com
Sleeping Pillows
Sleeping pillows come in 3 standard sizes — King, Queen, and Standard. You can also get custom pillows. Turn any of these sleeping pillows into decorative pillows by adding a stylish sham.
- King Size Pillows
20″ tall x 36″ wide - Queen Size Pillows
20″ tall x 30″ wide - Standard Size Pillows
20″ tall x 26″ wide
Decorative Pillows
Decorative Pillows come in a wide range of odd shapes and sizes. They’re usually just for decoration, but some pillows also provide neck and lumbar support. They share more than one name, so it’s easy to get mixed up. This infographic from Huffpost.com clearly outlines decorative pillows and how they’re usually arranged on a bed.
European (Euro pillow) Square
26″ x 26”, 20” x 30”
These square pillows use euro shams, and like the standard pillow, one standard fits a twin bed, two side by side fits across a full or queen bed, and three next to each other fits a king bed.
Standard Shams
20” 36”, 20” x 26”, 20” x 26
These are often your sleeping pillows — King, Queen, and Standard — covered in a decorative sham.
Square Pillows
20” x 20”, 18” x 18”, 16” x 16”
Also known as accent pillows, jewel pillows, throw pillows, and decorative pillows, these cushions come in various sizes, playing a crucial role in bedroom decor.
Boudoir Pillows
15” x 21, 12” x 16”
These are smaller, rectangular pillows that serve as decoration.
Lumbar Pillows
14”x 22” but can get as long as 60”
Not only are these pillows designed to help support the spine while sleeping, but they add a unique decorative flair.
Bolster Pillows
7” x 20”
These cylindrical decorative pillows also double up as support pillows.
Neck Roll
6” x 16”
An even smaller cylindrical pillow that provides support under the neck, back, knees, or ankles while supporting your decor with different shapes and textures.
How to Arrange Pillows on a King Bed
All of our arrangements start by lining pillows closest to the headboard and work their way toward the foot of the bed. Of these combinations, it’s no surprise that King-sized beds offer a lot of real estate to play with. With so much space on your bed, you can load it with multiple pillow combinations. Here are 13 different arrangements for you to experiment with.
10 Pillow Arrangements
- 3 Euros, 7 Decorative
9 Pillow Arrangements
- 3 Euros, 3 Standard, 3 Standard
- 3 Euros, 2 King, 4 Decorative
8 Pillow Arrangements
- 4 Standard (Stacked 2x2), 3 Euro Pillows, 1 Decorative
- 3 Euros, 3 Standard, 2 Decorative
- 3 Euros, 2 King, 3 Decorative
- 3 Euros, 2 King 2 Standard, 1 Decorative
- 2 Standard, 3 Euro Pillows, 3 Decorative
7 Pillow Arrangements
- 3 Euro, 2 King, 2 Decorative
- 2 Euro, 4 King,1 Decorative
- 2 King 3 Euro, 2 Decorative
4 Pillow Arrangements
- 3 Euros, 1 Decorative
3 Pillow Arrangements
- 2 King, 1 Decorative
How to Arrange Pillows on a Queen Bed
Most common for couples, queen-sized beds can still hold a surprising number of pillows despite being smaller than a king-sized bed. You can probably swap all of the king pillows for queen pillows and still used king arrangements if you really want. But, here are 13 pillow arrangements designed for queen-sized beds.
10 Pillow Arrangements
- 2 Standard, 2 Euro, 6 Decorative
8 Pillow Arrangements
- 2 Euro, 4 Standard (2x2), 2 Decorative
- 4 Standard, 6 Decorative
- 2 Standard, 2 Euro, 3 Decorative
7 Pillow Arrangements
- 4 Standard(stacked 2x2), 2 Standard, 1 Decorative
- 2 Euro, 4 Standard, 1 Decorative
6 Pillow Arrangements
- 4 Standard (stacked 2x2), 2 Decorative
- 2 Euro, 2 Standard (or Queen), 2 Decorative
5 Pillow Arrangements
- 4 Standard, 1 Decorative
- 2 Standard, 2 Euro, 1 Decorative
- 2 Euro, 2 Standard, 1 Decorative
4 Pillow Arrangements
- 4 Standard (stacked 2x2)
3 Pillow Arrangements
- 2 Euros (or 2 Queen) 1 Decorative
How to Arrange Pillows on a Full Bed
People often forget about full-sized beds. If you’ve upgraded from a twin bed and aren’t sure what to do with the new decorative space available, here are a few combinations to help you out. Feel free to experiment with arrangements for Twin sized beds as well.
- 3 Euro, 6 Decorative
- 2 Euro, 1 Standard, 1 Decorative
- 2 standard, 2 Decorative
How to Arrange Pillows on a Twin Bed
Just because a twin bed has less space than the other beds doesn’t mean you can’t get creative with your pillow arrangements. They favor simple pillow arrangements, but you’d be surprised by what you can come up with by working within its limited space. Here are a few space-conscious arrangements for comfort and style.
5 Pillow Arrangements
- 5 Decorative
4 Pillow Arrangements
- 1 Standard, 3 Decorative
- 1 Euro, 3 Decorative
3 Pillow Arrangements
- 1 Euro, 1 Standard, 1 Decorative
- 1 Standard, 1 Euro, 1 Decorative
- 1 Standard, 2 Decorative
Now It’s Your Turn
There are near-infinite ways to arrange pillows on a bed. To think, we only listed a few of them.
That’s where you come in. If you used these combos as a launching point to create your own arrangements, leave a comment letting us know.
We want to hear how you arrange pillows on a bed. We might even add your arrangement to the list in the future, so don’t sleep on sharing.