via decorpad/little green notebook
Bolsters aren’t just for beds. You can use them on sofas, chairs, benches, and I’m sure lots of other places.
And while we are on the topic of bolsters, we should mention all those lumbar style pillows too. Like these by IndependentReign on Etsy .
Lumbars are like regular pillows only long and thin and bolsters are like hot dogs. That’s the kind of stuff you learn with one year of design school.
A twin bed turned sofa just by adding two super fat bolsters. More like sausages than hot dogs, huh?
The February issue of Southern Living via Green Street features a cozy lumbar style pillow.
Use them to break up a long expanse of sofa or twin beds lined up one after another.
Rie from Home and Harmony was super creative and wrapped a king size pillow in a pretty quilt.
So clever.
Add a few bows and it’s a perfect bolster. You could do this with fabric or a curtain or something else you have around the house. Don’t have a king size pillow? You could use some towels.
Juliana Jaoudi’s sofa over at COCOCOZY
Chris Everard
two small lumbar pillows
I wanted to join in the fun too so, I grabbed the bolster off our bed and put it on our wrinkly sofa for now. This little extra front room is the first thing you see when you walk in our house but, sadly, we hardly ever sit there.
Is there a space in your home that could use a little bolster?
As much as I love pillows, I dont even own a bolster pillow, perhaps another HomeGoods stop is in store this weekend.
or you can make one! after seeing some made I’m wondering what I already have in my house I can make into one! A bag of rice? too small, a paper towel roll, too um, weird….
How timely! Just bought fabric for pillows, with no plan for what kind to make! Good idea! :)
I’m sure I missed this in a previous post. But where did you get that coffee table?
good will $16! I think I passed it twice and it even got marked down after sitting around a month before I decided I should try it!
My mom made the nursery bedding for our little boy and we did 4 bolster pillows instead of the regular bumper pads for his crib. I love how it turned out- it’s so cozy!! When he has outgrown the crib- I can just recover those bolsters and use them for something else.
It is now recommended that you NOT use pillows or bumper pads in a crib for safety reasons. I posted more about this further down in the comments.
I have a feeling you will remove those bolsters when needed, sounds beautiful!
An education – and a great selection of examples. The pillow type/sizes was also very useful. Thanks.
- Joy
LOVE the king pillow idea! And Sarah Richardson is the queen of bolsters, so glad to see her photo here!
I am a bolster addict! I have like 5 on rotation.They add the perfect amount of pop to our beds, chairs, lounge chairs, everywhere! LOVE’em!
“on rotation”
LOVE you.
This is going to be very ignorant sounding, but I always feel awkward going to people’s houses with these ‘fancy’ sorts of pillows b/c I don’t know what to do with them when I sit down. As a hostess, I don’t want my guests to feel uncomfortable, so I stay away from extra pillows. Am I the only one? Do you have suggestions on how to make guests feel more comfortable? Tell them just to sit down and squash the pillows? Remove them before the guests sit down???
I say if they are feather stuffed you lean on them, squish them, use them, I try not to pop my fanny down on a pillow because that’s just uncomforitable. feel free to move them around or out of the way till you are comfy, that’s really why they are there.
Thats really cute! I love the bolsters! But, I am actually wondering….where did you get that sofa? Is it Ballard Design or Pottery Barn? How does it hold up, etc? I am looking for a new sofa and some arm chairs, and I am having trouble finding and commiting…
I need one that will hold up to 5 kids AND look pretty! :) Any suggestions? Anyone? :)
They have some of the coolest lumbar pillows at Homegoods right now. I have a pic, I’ll try to get it up today. Also, see the bolster on my bench at the bottom of my bed? It was this really bright color (by Nautica, you get the idea) that didn’t work but the ‘perfect’ size! I had it recovered in this cool dwell fabric that was a table runner that I bought on sale (and not long enough for my table). Great way to use expensive fabric without the expense. xoxo, Shelli at alamode
http://www.alamodemaven.com/2011/03/your-sanctuary-at-home.html
See the lumbar pillow on this bed? I have seen it at THREE different Homegoods and a Marshalls (bought it for my mom and dad’s bed) and it is $24.99. LOVE the colors and the design! Go get you one! =)
http://studioten25.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Screen-shot-2011-03-24-at-12.32.15-PM.png
I woul caution against putting bolsters (or most any pillows) in a crib for safety reasons. There is a suffocation risk and a bolster would make a convenient step for a little one to get up and over the rails.
I think pillows are fun (mostly) but my dh finds them very annoying. I have to keep them to a minimum on our bed an wherever he is likely to sit.
Our couch! It’s so Plain Jane right now and super long. A nice patterned bolster would look great on it! You’ve got my mind reeling!
I wish this was a link up!! I just bought a beautiful really long lumbar pillow that I can’t wait to post about. I’ve taken pics of all the long lumbar pillows that decorate the beds of the hotels/resorts that we’ve stayed at over the years, I find them so beautiful! Great post!!
oh man, now you are making me wish it were a linky too!
Okay, last comment i promise. But…..look at this blog: see the fabric choices at the top left of her blog heading? look at the gorgeous silvery gray and gold print? Homegoods also has had a ton of lumbars in this fabric as well for $24.99 if you wanna go check it out…what a deal!
Here is the blog (I don’t know her, but ran across it randomly)
http://meditationsonlifeandstyle.blogspot.com/2011/01/furniture-101-dorothy-draper-chests.html
I’m a finder by nature….guess its all that hunting I do (I call it that instead of shopping to amuse my husband, ha ha) xoxo Shelli at alamode
I love this post! You’re too smart, Nester! :)
Okay, now I can die happily because I love this post with all these great patterns & colors!
Everything about that first room is perfection. Thanks for the inspiration!
YaY! I love it when you post up yummy links full of eye candy :)
I love your post. It’s timely for me because last weekend I made a lumbar pillow cover for our bed. I just love the easy going style to it. I posted pictures of it here.
http://misstrixiesfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2011/03/master-bedroom-tour.html
I’m especially loving the sweet girls bunk beds with bolsters, so cute!
I’m so inspired!
Loving the pillows today!
Hi, I love love your blog. You have the best ideas. Are those plates above your couch meant to be hung like that? Just wondering-did not seem like the way you usually do things. I thought maybe it was the way the photo was taken. Some of them actually overlapped and looked crooked? Just curious? I am not being critical, but your home office is gorgeous, as is your family room and kitchen eating area. Thanks for an inspiring decor blog.
yeah, um it’s on purpose. not the crooked part though, that one always goes wonky if someone slams a door. I like the fact that it’s different and not what you would expect~clearly it’s working!
I cannot even BEGIN to imagine how long it took you to gather all those pictures! Wowza. Great inspiration. I’ve do not own a bolster, have never owned a bolster BUT like the looks you’ve shown. AND I just happen to have *several* spare pillows squarshed under various beds in the house. I’m gonna give it a shot! Wish me luck. ~ karen
Love the DIY bolster idea…a friend of mine did that a while ago with a king size pillow that she rolled up and duct-taped. It looks great.
I like lumbars the best. In our guest room I used a body pillow for a huge lumbar-look – in front of shams. I’d like o do a lumbar or a hot dog in our office – we have a black leather loveseat in there that is rarely sat on. I have accents of red in there and am thinking those burlap with the red stripes might look good. Will have to check out the bolster queen!
tina
I was just going to recomend what Brooke sugested. Except I wasn’t thinking so easy… I was thinking about chopping up some ‘flat’ standard pillows and reshaping them into a bolster… or something along that line.
Great minds think alike. My post today is a tutorial on how to make a bolster pillow.
oooohhh… i’m totally inspired by home and harmony to make my own! what a great idea!!
Got a bolster on my bed and I love reading a book with it at my back. Tons of images to get inspired, really.
Bolster’s are such a fun shape to add to a bed. I love the one on mine and would love to learn to make some additional fun covers for them. Thanks for sharing all the great pics! That twin bed- turned sofa is pretty neat-o…nice for a reading nook?
What great inspiration! I have 4 lumbar style pillows in a black and white fabric that were custom made for my dd’s crib. She has now grown past that age, and I wasn’t sure what to do with them until now. They were sorta spendy (hey, she’s the only girl after 4 boys, I needed to get it out of my system! Lol) and I didn’t want to donate them or give them away. I just need to clip off the hot pink ribbon ties and they will head out to the living room and family room tonight!!
I saw that one out of the king size pillows on Home & Harmony and I’m going to try that! Love that idea! :)
What a great post! That gorgeous green lumbar pillow in Southern Living had me drooling. Some really cool options here. Thanks, Nester!
I’m due to make some changes to my accent pillows. This was good inspiration! The problem at my house is that the kids move the pillows all over the place; I’m constantly picking them up off the floor, or finding them in different rooms.
You have just given me such inspiration – I’ll be making this my next project ;-) xoxo
I totally did that last spring! I guess it’s time to add the bolster to the love seat again.
Just got the cover for a lumbar pillow in our master bedroom sewed up today… now on to the job of finding a 50″ invisible zipper… so thankful for google!
ps. Lovely pictures!
Absolutely providential! Inspired. Seriously!!! We are moving. Not one that the kids or I have wanted, but most likely better for the family as a whole…trusting the husband this time. His veterinary clinic is just five mins from the new house which will enable him to run for an E.R. and then be back again for the end of the meal, or to tuck kiddos into bed, or to see the end of the soccer game or whatever. But we love everything about our current home/property/town, so it has been hard. Since we already own the home we are moving to, I have been getting the wee ones (7!!!) and myself excited by going and doing ‘little’ things like filling nail holes and painting picture frames black so the cheap wooden ones we always seem to get match a little bit more. I tell you, there is nothing like an empty home to play hide and seek in or tag or whatever to make the move more exciting for my children, and for me, it was painting the master suite….since we never did get around to painting this one until ‘time to sell…better update!’, I begged, borrowed and stole to get this painting done. Actually, I just asked for it to be my Christmas, St. Valentine’s Day, St. P’s day (all b/c I’m Irish married to a 100% German…yeah, feel sorry for me! J.K.!), Mother’s day, and anniversary present for the upcoming year, and HE said YES!!! Any how, it is almost finished and looks just the way I want it to..on a budget of course. But I keep thinking that our bed would look better with a giant lumbar pillow across it, and preferably made of the drop cloth material I got mega on sale. And now I know how I can do it on the quick and easy…find a ‘cheap’ (I do know the difference btwn cheap and inexpensive, but I might just have to succumb to the the ‘cheap’ here!) King size pillow and bow-it-off. So excited. Now I just have to find a minor holiday for the excuse. It must be how he is wired, but there must be an excuse. Luckily, he rocks and is my superhero providing for this crazy family of nine made up by birth, domestic and foreign adoption. Holy crud….I don’t even know you and managed to just barf all over you while the chicken was cooking. Have a great laugh and enjoy your lumbar on the couch you don’t sit on. Maybe try using it for a morning coffee/bible reading????
I have been on the lookout for one for our master bedroom!
And for pete sakes, go sit on that sofa WITH your kicky bolster!
Nester, can you tell me where you bought your white double gourd lamps? I’ve been looking for some at the right price….thanks! xoxo, Shelli
Being 36 1/2 weeks pregnant leaves my lower back crying out for more support – I really NEED some of these kinds of pillows around! I might have to work on that – especially if I can make one out of something I have!
I’ve never liked bolster pillows because they left me feeling like I had a lump in the middle of my lower back…but lumbar pillows? Thinner but with the same support? Interesting! I’ll have to check it out. And I love those king-size pillows tied up in quilts. I have two king-size pillows that were too puffy for us to use in bed, but I might be able to repurpose them this way – neato! Thanks as always for the inspiration!
They sure are cute, but oh so purposeless. Wouldn’t they need to be moved to make the seat useful???
OK am I crazy or is this the very best post I have seen in all the years I have been lurking behind the scenes and wishing my house could look like yours? Kudos!
Beautiful!! Love all those options…
Yes, I do! I think one would be an improvement to our bed.
I love this post (the yellow wallpaper wall is my favorite!) Thanks for sharing so many pretty pictures!
loves it! *adds bolster to shopping list* – I wonder if IKEA have nice ones?
Love this post! Love pillows! Thanks so much for all the pretty photo inspirations! We’ll soon be adding some longer lumbar pillows to our shop so it was great seeing this post!
Happy weekend!