In Search of the Perfect Couch Potato Throw Pillow

January 12, 2016 1:20 PM

When I was 8 years old, we had a TV couch pillow that was oversized, plump, plush, and neither too hard nor too soft. It was a world of comfort, and I've been searching for decades for a similar throw pillow....but the trend is for rigid, tight, earache-inducing knife-edged good-looking pillows that are anything but cuddlesome (if that's a word). Can anyone who understands my sentiment recommend a killer-perfect 18x18 pillow form or pillow? I'm down/feather allergic, but would consider adding a hypoallergenic barrier/cover layer....

Please only reply if you're over the moon about your recommendation. "Good enough" isn't good enough; there's a universe of competent pillows out there, but I'm looking for something exceptional.

posted by Quisp Lover to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

I reaaaally like down pillows, but I don't like loose feathers leaking out. I put two internal covers under the main case and that seems to help a lot. You could use two hypoallergenic ones, and that would probably meet all your requirements.
posted by ananci at 1:34 PM on January 12, 2016

Down pillows are amazing. Get the expensive ones, though, as the cheap ones contain (cheap) feathers in addition to (expensive) down, and the feathers are too pokey-outey and stiff. Also I agree with the above advice to use extra pillowcases inside to keep the feather shafts contained.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 1:36 PM on January 12, 2016

I'm a huge fan of memory foam pillows. To me, they have the perfect combination of initial give, while being firm enough to keep you from sinking in. They stay nice and cool, too. Plus they wear like iron-- I've had mine for 2 years and they still feel brand new.

My family visited this past Thanksgiving, and everybody raved about them. Made Christmas shopping a lot easier; memory foam pillows all around!
posted by segfaultxr7 at 1:54 PM on January 12, 2016

I used to have some kapok-filled pillow forms that were nearly the equal of down. Would that work for you?
posted by HotToddy at 1:54 PM on January 12, 2016

(Kapok, for the unfamiliar, squishes and fluffs like down, but doesn't poof back up on its own quite the same. Also it doesn't have pokey quills like cheap down/feather mixes.)
posted by HotToddy at 2:06 PM on January 12, 2016

The pillow I like the most for laying on the sofa is the beautimus Sobakawa pillow (AS SEEN ON TV!) I also have genuine buckwheat hull Soba pillows from Japan, but this one is only $19.99 and you can buy them in drugstores and big box stores.

The cloud pillow is filled with Styrofoam balls instead of buckwheat hulls. That makes it light, and squshy.

It's smallish, so I use an Ikea crib pillow case, but I've also cut down pretty pillow cases to serve the same purpose.

I only sleep on these pillows these days, they are awesome!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 3:02 PM on January 12, 2016

The "smooth cotton velvet throw pillows" in a range of solid colors by Surya are the only pillows I'm buying. And they're on sale at Wayfair, yay! I want to be buried with these things, they're so comfortable. Just enough firmness, great for napping on the couch, and they take abuse and stay gorgeous. You can select your color, size and type of filling. This is good quality cotton velvet, which just gets yummier over time. The covers zip open and you can wash them. You might want to check out all the other pillows at Wayfair, it's really pillow heaven over there.
posted by cartoonella at 3:14 PM on January 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Re: that Surya pillow, 18X18 down at Wayfair is $60....but just $20 at Amazon.
posted by Quisp Lover at 3:49 PM on January 13, 2016

Response by poster: Nobody makes pillow protectors for 18x18. So down is a problem.
posted by Quisp Lover at 5:49 PM on January 13, 2016