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Does that mean some people put pillows on MORE than half the bed??

in my opinion.. more than would be used at night is too many.
i have 4 normal sleeping pillows.. 2 for me.. 2 for someone else..

Man that is silly looking. A whole lotta stuff with no real purpose. A fool and his money.

This is one of my biggest decor peeves. Who really arranges all those pillows every morning? And where do you put them at night?

I hate excessive pillows. It looks ridiculous. You should only have as many as you'll actually use. Anything more just seems like a waste of time & money.

We used to call the bed 'pillowlandia'. Now we are more restraint and we have 4. The 2 extra ones go on the top of the blanket boxes, at the foot of the bed, when we sleep.

I love those bookcases above the bed - are they IKEA???

four sleeping pillows that i use...and two other ones that usually end up on a chair under clean laundry so what's the point? i don't like decorative pillows at all. but i have a few. is that weird?

I'll be generous and say any more than 5 pillows is too many. 2 for sleeping, two other ones, and if you REALLY need one foofy pillow, then fine. Just one. My mom once went to a bed and breakfast where the bed had a ton of tiny little satin pillows, and a silver tray with little porcelain animals on it. She was laughing so hard! Who cleans all that stuff? Why put it on the BED?

Makes me think of the movie 'Along Came Polly', where Ben Stiller's character takes a knife to the throw pillows and later tells his soon to be ex wife that he destroyed her pillows because they serve no purpose.

that looks like 8 extra non-sleeping pillows.

8.

4 for actual use sleeping: all standard or 2 standard, 2 Euro. And 1 decorative. Any more just looks overdone.

I'm another believer in having only as many as are actually used at night -- we have 4 on our bed. What a ridiculous idea to have pillows on the bed that actually get removed nightly in order to use it!

On the other hand, since people just put them on a chair or the floor, perhaps I can invent a pillow rack and make my millions!

I totally agree--all those little pillows are absurd. My olny caveat is that bed-width long sham that some hotels have--and which I am sure has a shmancy name--which I adore. I wouldn't ahve one at home, but I do love them.

individual taste is the only measure. maybe you use your bed for lounging and need support. i personally never read sitting fully upright.

We actually use three pillows each to sleep (I know, I know...), son no decorative extras for us.

suzy8track exactly what came to mind.
I give my friend a hard time because her bed looks like that and I ask her where do you sleep?

When Linens n Things went belly up I bought new bedding and for the first time in my life bought decorative pillows. Now I have 4 sleeping pillows (2 for me, 2 for the hubs) and one oversized square pillow and one barrel pillow.
The two extra pillows spend all week in the corner, until the linen day comes on tuesday and the bed gets made... or if we're having company and the bed gets made.
Sometimes I also use the big square in the morning to "gate in" my baby daughter when I'm getting dressed and she's in the center of the bed.

I have four regular pillows and two throw pillows -- one I put between my knees at night while I sleep, and one that I use when I'm sitting up in bed reading (my headboard is metal rails, and the regular pillows slip through). The second one I could probably live without, but having a small, firm pillow to put between my knees while I sleep is essential.

As for how many is too many, if you're willing to deal with them and they make you happy, there's not a problem.

Sleeping pillows only (total of six). Decorative pillows are too annoying/fussy/cluttery for me.

A ton of decorative pillows on a bed never made sense to me unless it's in a spare room that you like to keep pretty. But on a bed slept in every night four standard size sleeping pillows is just perfect. I know when I used to sleep alone though I liked having a ton of pillows around me, it's comfy.

remember the scene in Along Came Polly? They stabbed the throw pillows on the bed to relieve tension, on the theory that throw pillows are silly because they serve absolutely no purpose?

I can relate.

I've got 4 regular pillows that are used for sleeping and one "decorative" one that I also use for lumbar support when reading in bed. I'm with alex, any more than 5, maybe 6 is crazy and only that many if most are the normal ones used for sleeping. I've seen so many people take armfulls of pillows off the bed and night and toss them in a corner and all I can think is, what's the point?

I recently downgraded when I realized the pillows took up half the bed. Now I have two big pillows for support while reading and two sleeping pillows. But.....I'm currently in a rental in Seattle and they have the little neck pillows - my those have come in handy..........my pillow addiction has returned.

we have one long body pillow that stays at the top, a normal pillow each for sleeping, and one 'decorative' one that I actually use when I'm sitting in bed reading or something. I would consider one more small pillow for a pop of contrasting color. I think the piles and piles of pillows look silly and frou frou, though. really? half the bed?

OK, so I guess I am minority here. I love pillows - on an average night, I sleep with 6. When the bed is made, the total goes up to 13. (And about 4 of those are oversize / Euroshams) There are vaulted ceilings in my bedroom, so I think the overall look is great. My minimalistic boyfriend, however, finds my pillow obsession rather amusing. It doesn't take up more than half the bed, so at least I am adhering to 'Good Housekeeping' standards.

2 for a single bed and 4 for all other sizes should be the max!

I think people see the pillowed-up beds and think it's a cute idea, similar to that other thread I just saw with all the stuff piled high on a dresser. It's merchandise-y. Another thing is that throw pillows, when you're out shopping, seem to be an easy way to spend not too much money to potentially spruce up your living area. Nothing's wrong with that, but sometimes, it ain't right, either. If you actually need pillows are really tired of the pillows you have, or the ones you did buy don't work, or you see something that is just awesome, go ahead. Otherwise, I think it's symptomatic of trying to fill a void or justify an easy, cheap change when an overhaul or a new piece of furniture or moving to a nicer or bigger apartment is too expensive or too far in the future, or it's just kind of cute but 50% off. People love temporary fixes, and pillows are better than pills. Ha! I buy glasses and bowls, but it's probably the same thing.

I like 4 pillows on my bed, and recently decided maybe more - full regular bed pillows. Sometimes, I like to curl up in a little nest of my pillows (I don't have a couch, maybe that's why?) and I don't feel I have enough to get really comfortable. I'm still thinking on it, and maybe I will just get a couch soon, it's about time to figure out how it will fit.

We have four pillows, two for each of us. I also think I'm going to get one decorative pillow to place between the stacks.

Oh I looooooove throw pillows. I'm kinda doing a Bollywood thing in my bedroom, and all the textile possibilities for throw pillows just make me drool. It's like candy without calories!!!!

But, as much as I really really want them all, I don't have any decorative pillows in my bedroom. When I was growing up, my mom always made me make my bed, and I was forever hunting for the throw pillows I had flung to the far corners of my room the night before. Now I never make my bed nor do I have non-functional pillows.

We have 6 pillows on the bed. 4 regular and 2 shams which we use to prop and read in bed.

I love the color scheme in the picture but I would have removed 4 of the smaller ones in front so what was left was 2 rows of pillows in back, one decorative green pillow, one smaller purple/pink pillow in front. Still pushing it in my opinion but better.

Does anyone know where that storage ottoman in the picture came from?

koshin - I think those bookcases are from IKEA. When I met my husband, he had one bookcase - same style, different finish - hung the exact same way above his bed...but about 2 feet lower. It looked great, but after I hit my head on it the 10th time, it came down.

As for pillows, I think great in theory, not so much in practice. Every extra pillow means an extra pillowcase to wash...

Alright, I have 4 pillows for sleeping- 2 for me, 2 for my bed mate... but, on top of that, I have a whopping 5 decorative pillows. It really doesn't seem like a lot to me though, because they go behind my sleeping pillows so they're not horribly noticeable. I also do not use a headboard so the decoratives serve more a backdrop and to prop up my real pillows. When we're sleeping, I stack them on the chair next to my bed so they don't collect dirt on the floor.

I think decorative pillows are a typical american excess. . .

I have a queen bed with two pillows, one for me and one for the dogs and/or an overnight guest ;) Any extra bed pillows are stored in the closet

There's no headboard because I can't seem to find the perfect one yet

I have two Euros, four pillows which I sleep with, and three accent pillows on my bed. And I replace them every morning when I make my bed. Since I live in a studio, with bed on constant display, it keeps it from looking like an afterthought.

A "dressed" bed is one of the reasons a bedroom doesn't look like a college dorm.

And, I think if pressed to do so, we all have SOME form of "personal excess" (preferred to "American excess," imho) in our lives. I wish this was a place where people wouldn't exhibit such judgment against a form of home decor they just don't care to partake in.

Less is more. Two full size pillows on each side of our queen size bed works great. Our room is too small to be having extra pillows all over the room at night.

We have 6 on a queen bed-4 standard for each sleeper, a king size pillow I use like a body pillow, and a 16" sq. polka dot one that sits in front of all the others. The small one is the only one that gets removed nightly-but when the bed is made and the little one goes back on the bed, it makes the room look happier. Any more would be too much for me.

I agree with Alexia. 2 pillows is good. If one needs 2 pillow to sleep, wouldn't that mean that one has bought the wrong pillows to start with?

I love pillows. We have two sleeping pillows, two in shams, two euros and three accent, including one tiny one the size of a paperback. Sorry if you can't live with that. Good that you don't have to. ~:o)

I don't have decorative pillows on my bed. But I do have at least 10 standard or king size pillows.
I sleep with at least four each night.

oops–2 for each person, not 4. One under the head, and one against the headboard. It's wooden and I don't really like accidentally knocking it with my arm or head.

We have four pillows on our bed - two down and two sleeping. The down are extra, but I like having them there. Besides, they're squishy and soft, and they're like an extra layer for the other pillows. If I was going to add a decorative pillow, it would be one small one only.

How could you possibly take up more than half the bed with pillows? I can't even picture it.

I actually only use one pillow for sleeping, since I sleep on my stomach or my back a lot. I also have...four decorative pillows? One king-sized sham, a square one, a rectangular one, and a bolster. I'm still in tiny single dorm room, so my bed has to be a couch when people come over, and those pillows offer back support. I think they also look rather posh when I manage to make my bed, compared to the average dorm bed.

I think that is insane, JMHO. I guess at one point or another some famous designer said we needed more dec. pillows on our bed, so the excess was born. On the other hand if that floats your boat, go to it. Where is the karate chop for the top of the pillows? another designer touch to be ignored.

It looks like a family of those Russian nesting dolls sleeps in this bed.

It's ridiculous to have more pillows than you need for sleeping! What happens when you actually go to bed? Do you just chuck the other pillows on the floor? Decorative pillows are just useless stuff, clutter.

Pillow madness is one of my pet peeves in design. I don't want to have to disassemble my bed before getting into it. I hate it when a hotel stacks ornamental pillows on the bed. They invariably get placed on the ground if you don't have turndown service, and they are handled so much that they can't be clean. And there they are on your bed! Yuck! On my own (queen) bed I have two euro pillows for reading in bed, and four soft standard pillows for sleeping (I like to spread them out while sleeping and kind of alternate between two during the night...I know that's odd). Everything gets used, and all of the pillow slips are washed regularly. And they look tidy and inviting arranged on the bed. All you have to remove before sleeping is the euro pillow.

design rules are made to be broken.

I had two standard pillows on a queen bed. I was forever moving one to the side, though, since I didn't use it to sleep, and got tired of fishing it out when it fell down the gap between the bed and the wall. So now there's one pillow on the bed and the other one's in the closet unless a guest comes over.

Making the bed should not take 15 minutes. I grew up with a pillow-happy mom (at one point, my bed featured SIX pillows, ONE of which I actually used), so now I have limited myself to two and only two.

I have my own bed, and on that bed are 5 pillows, and I use ALL of them for sleeping. Don't judge me harshly. Some day you too may have a chronic pain problem, and you will make many accommodations that are even less attractive than multiple bed pillows.

Wow, I must be a freak. I have 9! A big body pillow acrossed the top, 4 sleeping pillows, 1 square pillows, 1 little pillow, and 2 middle sized pillows.

patrick - try not to be too sore about all the judging. The article takes Good Housekeeping's proclamation and then questions it, judges it, and asks for people's opinions on this personal subject. As in, we've been invited to discuss what we think is a healthy amount of pillows.

If I see someone's got a lot of a thing for pillows, not just all over the bed, but everywhere they can put one, it calls to mind the question about the stuffed animals asked recently. Pillows are stuffed animals for grown-ups. Yet, however, they are also decorative accents, and can be dealt with, and appealing, and helpful. Moderation is subjective here. Other than the hotel example, or possibly how one might do up their guest bedroom, nobody really has to deal with the opposite preference as a problem. I have the right number of pillows for my bed. You have the right number of pillows for your bed. Good Housekeeping says, however many pillows someone has is not wrong unless they cover more than half the bed.

I think the tolerance minimum is most often four pillows on a queen or king, and I don't think anyone is judging a personal preference of 5 or fewer extra pillows as grotesque. You have more than I'd like, but not a sick amount! According to most of the opinions.

Every additional pillow on my bed is just one more thing to have to defuzz of dog hair (yes, my puppy sleeps on my bed. she even has her own regular-size pillow to sleep atop of, like any pampered puppy deserves!).

But when I've seen photos of scrumptious-looking beds laden with pillows, I think that it'd be a joy to dive onto it. As long as the "houseboy" is right there to get the froo-froo pillows out of the way ASAP.

well, I sleep with one pillow, while my SO needs 3 (three!) pillows to sleep. So we have 4 pillows in our bed.

I do have four purely decorative throw-cushions, but I can pick two up in each hand so they don't add much time to the bed-making and they give a nice colour hit to balance out my all-white bedclothes. It's also easy to change the cushion covers to cheaply and completely change the look of the bed, so they are definitely worth it :)

I'm with mrsyow--I don't have chronic pain but I probably would if I didn't have a little nest of pillows to prop various parts on.

However, I do have one totally extraneous pillow. It is only about eight inches square, covered in flimsy silk, and supports nothing. But it's a beautiful color that coordinates with the various useful pillows and it fits under others when I want to sleep, so I indulge.

I bought three small decorative pillows because I spotted them at a discount store and thought they tied together my room colors perfectly. They cost something like $2 each. I brought them home and indeed the colors were perfect. Now they sit abandoned on the dresser most of the time, so I have perfectly color coordinated clutter. At least that learning experience only cost me $6. My husband hates them and complains about them at least weekly.

There is a certain opulance to piles of pillows that in the abstract can be appealing and in the concrete can be amazingly annoying! I have what I need for sleeping and reading in bed on my side and a balanced numnber on the other side and one toss pillow for the middle that is too "crusty" with embroidery to actually USE.

My guest bed has a slightly bigger pile "for pretty" and because I can't part with them! (Seldom used anyhow.)

We have eight pillows in our entire house.

There are two throw pillows. We have a glass coffee table with a "top" and a "bottom" layer, the pillows sit on the bottom layer most of the time and get pulled up to the top when someone wants to put their feet on the table. It's more comfortable and it keeps people from getting foot prints on the glass :P Plus, they're cute pillows.

Other than that, the other six are on the bed. There are two poly-fil pillows, two floppity feather pillows, one firm down pillow and one temperfoam pillow. Four of them are mine - but I sleep in a different position every night, and each position demands a different pillow configuration. We don't put decorative pillows on the bed...cuz that seems...OCD

ok, so there's a lot of pillows.

I'm visually arrested by my inability to comprehend sleeping with my head under such a shelving set up.
makes me twitch!

I used to have so many pillows in my living room. I collected vintage souvenir pillows for a long time. I put them all away and now feel better about having people over. They have a place to sit and don't have to negotiate the pillow situation.

I grew up in a house with a lot of bed pillows. I still have too many of those. I haven't made the move to decrease the number of bed pillows because my dog loves to be up high when he's on his side of the bed. I could definitely do with at least one fewer. I have 6. I guess I can just be glad I don't have 10.