Extra Long Lumbar Pillow Covers

An extra long lumbar is the piece that finishes a bed. At 14" x 36" it runs the width of a king or queen without the bulk of a second row of euros, and it does the same quiet work along a deep sofa or under a window seat — one long horizontal line where a square would sit awkwardly.

It goes by several names. Long lumbar, oversized lumbar, XL lumbar, 36 inch lumbar, extra long throw pillow. They are all this shape, and it is the hardest one to find well made.

14x36 Block Print Lumbar Pillow Covers

Stamped by hand in Jaipur with hand-carved wooden blocks, by a family of printers who have worked the same craft for eight generations. Each design is printed on both sides, so the pattern reads the same whichever way the pillow falls and the cover can be turned when one face has had a season in the sun. Because the blocks are placed by eye, no two covers land quite alike.

Available in heavyweight linen, 100% linen, cotton canvas and a soft linen blend, each with a hidden zip closure and named for a street in Atlanta. These are sold as covers only — no insert included — and are dry clean only.

The Meadow Extra Long Lumbar Pillows

The Meadow lumbars are something else again: painterly florals printed in England on a cotton-linen blend, finished with contrast piping. They come in 26" and 34" widths and, unlike the block prints, arrive filled with a duck feather down insert. Read each listing for what is included.

What size insert fits a 14x36 cover?

A 16" x 36" insert. Going one size up on the fill is what gives a lumbar its full, slightly overstuffed line rather than a slack one, and it is the single thing most people get wrong. Any 16 x 36 down or down-alternative insert will do.

How to style a long lumbar

On a king bed, lay it in front of the euro shams and let it float just clear of the sleeping pillows. On a sofa, it works best alone, centred, doing the job that two squares do badly. In a reading nook or a window seat it becomes a backrest rather than decoration, which is the most useful thing a pillow this size can be.