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Survey: Bed Pillows, Stacked or Slanted?

slanted.jpg

Lately, we've noticed a significant increase in design photos that show bed pillows stacked instead of slanted against the headboard. Maybe it's a vestige of our childhood but we've always leaned our pillows against the wall or headboard (granted, we must confess that we are not daily bedmakers)...

 
 

stacked.jpg

But when we do bother to make the bed, we've been starting to experiment with the stacked aesthetic. It seems to give the bed a more modern look. Our dog, Arlo, certainly seems to prefer the stacked method since it makes it easier for him to nest there.

What do you think of the stacked bed pillow method that seems to be cropping up everywhere? (Perhaps this isn't a newish phenomenon and we're just behind the times on this one...)

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Surveys, bedroom

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Comments (32)

I think I prefer the look of slanted, but often that method covers up the majority of the headboard which may be worth displaying.

posted by kosha on December 1st 2008 at 2:00pm
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I usually do the slanted method because I don't have a headboard. It creates the illusion of one. But I like both methods.

posted by Laura on December 1st 2008 at 2:02pm
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Slanted--only to keep the cat from sleeping on them.

posted by Pixie on December 1st 2008 at 2:02pm
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When I was a kid pillows were always flat on the bed, preferable tucked under one of those floor-length bedspreads...

I now have a huge headboard - and I lean the pillows from largest to smallest...
...its so much more attractive and comfortable to lean against when you're reading in bed.

posted by bepsf on December 1st 2008 at 2:13pm
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Off topic, but... that globe is so low. Don't you hit your head on it all the time?

posted by Lisa Hunter (Montreal) on December 1st 2008 at 2:23pm
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I always stack - I think it looks neater for whatever reason. I wish we could get down to just one pillow each (which I think is the nicest, most minimal look) , but the Mr. and I each use two --

posted by julie_k. on December 1st 2008 at 2:23pm
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I've always leaned. It's what my mother did... kind of like always cutting off the end of the roast (until the daughter asks her why, which prompts the mother to ask HER mother why SHE did it - and gets the same reply... only to learn that the grandmother did it because she didn't have a big enough roasting pan).

I'm rather intrigued by the stacking aesthetic, though... might have to give it a try and see what the wife thinks.

posted by TheGoodBiGirl on December 1st 2008 at 2:26pm
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Ditto with Pixie.

posted by les1queen on December 1st 2008 at 2:34pm
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bepsf, you just reminded me of my avocado green, shiny polyester bedspread. Yes, I pulled that thing up and tucked it under and over my pillow.

posted by oakland on December 1st 2008 at 2:49pm
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Stack 'em

posted by Kathryn on December 1st 2008 at 3:00pm
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Kyle,

Make your bed. How are we to take you seriously design-wise if we all know you're a slob.

If you don't make your bed I suspect the kitchen sink is full of dishes, the hamper's overflowing and there's food from yesterday sitting on the coffee table.

Martha Stewart makes her bed everyday. (Or pays someone to make it.)

posted by Mr. Dangerous on December 1st 2008 at 3:10pm
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Stack! ... And sometimes then lean in front of those. Depends on the pillows I'm using at the time.

posted by LeahBK on December 1st 2008 at 3:12pm
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I like to do both stacking and slanting. Sometimes one or the other and sometimes both at the same time.

posted by JanelleT on December 1st 2008 at 3:21pm
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I stack and lean. Who says you can't have it both ways! I have 3 large euro sham style pillows that I lean against my headboard. In front of those I stack 4 pillows. Very comfy.

posted by DesignGod on December 1st 2008 at 3:31pm
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another stack AND lean here! the 4 sleeping pillows get stacked, then the decorative ones get leaned against them.

posted by rouquinne on December 1st 2008 at 3:52pm
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I'm a leaner, but this is really making me stop and think. Should I be stacking instead??? I think I'm gonna lose sleep over this.

posted by nazrd on December 1st 2008 at 4:19pm
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I've always stacked and still do, it looks nice.

http://flickr.com/photos/shilobyrd/3075684902/

posted by Shilo on December 1st 2008 at 4:47pm
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Leaner... great for reading in bed.

posted by ilovebc on December 1st 2008 at 5:59pm
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I like the quilt on your wall

posted by mildred on December 1st 2008 at 6:09pm
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Pixie and les1queen , you should see my cat... I always find him in my bed asleep with his head on the leaned pillows and he sometimes manages to get the comforter over him. He sleeps like a human. It's funny because he enjoys my bed more than I do. I feel bad that I have to move him when it's time to sleep.

posted by chusmabilly on December 1st 2008 at 7:03pm
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Leaner. I have an odd number of pillows, so unless I want a weird-looking pyramid, I lean the two big ones against the bedhead and the other one against the two of them.

Also, it stops the cat from sleeping on them! (Mm, nothing like inhaling cat hair in to your sinuses.)

posted by ryttu3k on December 1st 2008 at 7:14pm
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A mean lean here. I have a bed rest pillow for reading which stays on the bed and all of the others are leaned against it or around it.

posted by KWorld on December 1st 2008 at 11:13pm
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Lean. Mostly because I like to collapse into my bed with a good book, and having pillows propped up makes it a bit easier and faster to get cozy.

posted by ehy2k on December 1st 2008 at 11:53pm
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I only use one pillow and it's horizontal while I sleep, and during the day when the bed is made. I only lean it onto the headboard if I read in bed and like to prop myself a little.

What boggles me is why do people put so many pillows on a bed - like stacks of 6 or more!? Who needs more than one pillow under the head? And what do you do with the rest during the night? Isn't it bothersome having to move all the pillows somewhere else before going to bed?

posted by mribaro on December 2nd 2008 at 4:01am
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I've been seeing it for awhile. I like both looks, for different reasons. Stacking, with pillows all the same size, can show off beautiful textiles that might not otherwise be seen. If you've got pillows of different sizes, it's all a matter of taste. Lately I've been stacking, but I'm not married to either of these styles.

Emily

posted by Emily Sneds on December 2nd 2008 at 8:45am
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Here's an example of a combo stack and lean! From Design Sponge: http://www.designspongeonline.com/wp-content/uploads/abs6.jpg

Emily

posted by Emily Sneds on December 2nd 2008 at 9:31am
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I prefer slanted. It makes me think "home, restful, peaceful, welcoming".

When I see them stacked I think "cold, sterile, uptight, designer".

posted by Maureen on December 2nd 2008 at 6:26pm
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Having tried it for a few days now, I'm completely with Maureen. Our bedroom is definitely pleasing to the eye (most importantly ours), but it's no showroom (and thankfully so).

posted by TheGoodBiGirl on December 7th 2008 at 5:04pm
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I noticed in quit a few bedrooms in Italy and Spain where they use the cover or duvet to cover/drape over the entire bed showing no pillows in a very plain cloth maybe a folded blanket at the foot of the bed.

I am a three tiered pillow from large to small slanted.

posted by LoriSF on January 19th 2009 at 1:47pm
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i'm a leaner, and i agree that that globe is looooww

posted by formosagirl on January 19th 2009 at 3:57pm
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Stack 'n Lean....I have six pillows. Stack two on each side, lean the others against the stack.

Kyle......why is your bed so close to the wall?

posted by ohjodi on January 19th 2009 at 6:08pm
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Oh, ewww... you let your dog 'nest' in your pillows...? Well, each to his own, but I guess I'm not as much as a dog person as I thought I was!

posted by SeattleMama on January 20th 2009 at 9:24pm
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