Slipcovered white sofa layered with hooked wool lobster pillows and blue and white striped throw pillows in a Nantucket living room

The Nantucket Charm Edit

Coastal Throw Pillows

Hooked wool lobsters, hydrangea covers and cabana stripe — the fastest way to make a room read Nantucket.

Nothing changes a room faster, or for less money, than pillows.

We buy hooked wool for the ones people notice, blue-and-white covers for the ones that hold the room together, and indoor/outdoor stripes for the porch. Hooked wool first, then the blue and white, then everything for the porch.

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Hand-Hooked Wool

Lobsters, labs and skiffs loomed by hand. These are the pillows guests pick up and turn over — and the ones that still look right in twenty years.

Chandler 4 Corners Seadog Boating Hooked Wool Pillow, 18" Square

Pillows & Throws

Chandler 4 Corners Seadog Boating Hooked Wool Pillow, 18" Square

$105·at Amazon

A black lab out in a little red skiff on navy water — the largest of the hooked dogs, and the one I'd anchor a boathouse sofa with.

Details
Chandler 4 Corners Northwoods Cones Hand-Hooked Wool Pillow (18" Square)

Pillows & Throws

Chandler 4 Corners Northwoods Cones Hand-Hooked Wool Pillow (18" Square)

$105·at Amazon

Pinecones and bittersweet branches hooked in chocolate, moss and butterscotch wool on a soft driftwood gray — the pillow I pull out when the house turns from summer to woodsmoke.

Details
Chandler 4 Corners Golden Guy Retriever Hooked Wool Pillow, 12" x 18"

Pillows & Throws

Chandler 4 Corners Golden Guy Retriever Hooked Wool Pillow, 12" x 18"

$89·at Amazon

A golden retriever hooked in wool on a warm cranberry ground — the piece I'd lean into a leather club chair in a paneled study, next to a brass lamp and a lightship basket.

Details
Chandler 4 Corners Skiff Lab Hooked Wool Pillow, 14" Square

Pillows & Throws

Chandler 4 Corners Skiff Lab Hooked Wool Pillow, 14" Square

$89·at Amazon

A black lab riding a little sailboat under a cornflower sky — hand-hooked wool that reads like folk art, and my favorite pillow for a porch swing in August.

Details
Chandler 4 Corners Lakeside Oar Hooked Wool Lumbar Pillow (8" x 24")

Pillows & Throws

Chandler 4 Corners Lakeside Oar Hooked Wool Lumbar Pillow (8" x 24")

$89·at Amazon

A long navy lumbar with a butterscotch oar and LAKE SIDE hooked in cream wool — the skinny pillow that finishes a window seat or a bench by the back stairs.

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Chandler 4 Corners Stargazing Yellow Lab Hooked Wool Pillow (12" x 18")

Pillows & Throws

Chandler 4 Corners Stargazing Yellow Lab Hooked Wool Pillow (12" x 18")

$89·at Amazon

A golden lab watching a sailboat and one white star over rolling blue water — pure folk-art charm for a bunk room or the foot of a guest bed.

Details
Chandler 4 Corners Floating Labs Hand-Hooked Wool Lumbar Pillow (12" x 18")

Pillows & Throws

Chandler 4 Corners Floating Labs Hand-Hooked Wool Lumbar Pillow (12" x 18")

$89·at Amazon

Two black labs out in a little red runabout with a sailboat on the horizon — the folk-art lumbar I'd lean into a wicker settee on the porch.

Details
Chandler 4 Corners Crossed American Flags Hand-Hooked Wool Pillow

Pillows & Throws

Chandler 4 Corners Crossed American Flags Hand-Hooked Wool Pillow

$79·at Amazon

A hand-hooked wool petit pillow with two crossed American flags on a natural ivory ground — the Fourth of July touch I'd tuck onto a wicker rocker on the porch, or stack with a blue ticking pillow for a Nantucket summer.

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Chandler 4 Corners Bluebird & Berries Hooked Wool Pillow

Pillows & Throws

Chandler 4 Corners Bluebird & Berries Hooked Wool Pillow

$79·at Amazon

A bluebird perched on a berry branch, hooked in wool on cream — the small pillow I'd set on a bedroom bench where the morning light comes in.

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Chandler 4 Corners Running Black Dog Hooked Wool Pillow

Pillows & Throws

Chandler 4 Corners Running Black Dog Hooked Wool Pillow

$79·at Amazon

A black lab mid-stride in a red collar on ivory wool — simple, graphic, and the one guests always pick up and ask about in a mudroom.

Details
The Pillow Shoppe Black Lab on the Dock Hooked Wool Pillow, 18" Square

Pillows & Throws

The Pillow Shoppe Black Lab on the Dock Hooked Wool Pillow, 18" Square

$79·at Amazon

A black lab standing watch at the end of the dock, hooked in wool against a pale summer sky — the pillow I'd set on a wicker settee where everyone drops their towels.

Details
Chandler 4 Corners Cardinal on White Hooked Wool Pillow, 14" Square

Pillows & Throws

Chandler 4 Corners Cardinal on White Hooked Wool Pillow, 14" Square

$79·at Amazon

A red cardinal on a bare winter branch, hooked on ivory wool — the one bright note I'd add to a cream sofa once the hydrangeas have gone brown for the season.

Details
Chandler 4 Corners Sunflower Bees Hand-Hooked Wool Pillow (14" Square)

Pillows & Throws

Chandler 4 Corners Sunflower Bees Hand-Hooked Wool Pillow (14" Square)

$79·at Amazon

One sunny hooked sunflower with two fat bumblebees circling it on ivory wool — the little pillow for a kitchen bench in August when the garden is at its loudest.

Details
Peking Handicraft Black Lab with Bee Hooked Wool Pillow, 16" Square

Pillows & Throws

Peking Handicraft Black Lab with Bee Hooked Wool Pillow, 16" Square

$59·at Amazon

Mary Lake-Thompson's black lab watching a bumblebee, hooked in wool with a soft blue border — the pillow that gives a blue-and-white room its sense of humor.

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Peking Handicraft Black Lab in Canoe Hooked Wool Pillow, 14" Square

Pillows & Throws

Peking Handicraft Black Lab in Canoe Hooked Wool Pillow, 14" Square

$54·at Amazon

A black lab sitting patiently in the bow of a canoe on still green water — the quiet one, perfect for a bunk room or a bench by the back door.

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Peking Handicraft Hand-Hooked Wool Whale Lumbar Pillow (Navy)

Pillows & Throws

Peking Handicraft Hand-Hooked Wool Whale Lumbar Pillow (Navy)

$46·at Amazon

A cream whale hand-hooked in chunky wool loops across a deep harbor-navy ground — the little lumbar pillow I'd prop against the arm of a slipcovered sofa or in the window seat of a shingled cottage bedroom.

Details
Peking Handicraft Lobster Hand-Hooked Wool Pillow, 8" x 12"

Pillows & Throws

Peking Handicraft Lobster Hand-Hooked Wool Pillow, 8" x 12"

$44·at Amazon

A red lobster hooked in wool on a deep harbor-blue ground — the little pillow I'd prop in a wicker chair by the back door, right where the lobster rope doormat starts the whole story.

Details
Peking Handicraft Lighthouse Hand-Hooked Wool Pillow, 8" x 12"

Pillows & Throws

Peking Handicraft Lighthouse Hand-Hooked Wool Pillow, 8" x 12"

$44·at Amazon

A red-and-white lighthouse with a little sailboat passing by, all hooked in soft wool — the storybook pillow I'd tuck into a bunk room or a window seat facing the water.

Details
Peking Handicraft Light Brown Dog Hooked Wool Pillow, 8" x 12"

Pillows & Throws

Peking Handicraft Light Brown Dog Hooked Wool Pillow, 8" x 12"

$42·at Amazon

A honey-colored pup in a red collar on an oatmeal wool ground — the pillow that makes a room feel lived in, propped on a slipcovered chair where the dog actually sleeps.

Details
Mud Pie Hooked Wool Sailboat Pillow (Red, White & Blue)

Pillows & Throws

Mud Pie Hooked Wool Sailboat Pillow (Red, White & Blue)

$38·at Amazon

A cheerful little hooked-wool sailboat with a red hull and a blue-striped spinnaker on natural canvas — the pillow I'd set in a child's bunk room or on the wicker chair by the back door.

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The House Palette

Blue & White

Hydrangea, toile, trellis and ticking stripe — the covers that hold the whole room together for under $80.

Porch & Sunroom

Nautical & Outdoor

Anchors, oars, starfish and cabana stripe, in fabrics that survive salt air.

Also Worth It

Texture & Neutrals

Bouclé, chenille, velvet and pom-pom trim — the quiet pillows that let the others sing.

Before You Order

How to Buy Pillows

  1. 1. Odd numbers. Three on a sofa, five if it's long. Two matched corners, one personality piece in the middle.
  2. 2. Insert two inches bigger. A 20-inch insert in an 18-inch cover is why decorator pillows look full instead of limp.
  3. 3. One stripe, one pattern, one texture. All sharing one blue. Vary the scale and the mix reads collected.
  4. 4. Buy covers, not pillows. Cheaper to ship, washable, and you can swap the whole room by season on the same inserts.
  5. 5. Outdoor fabric for the porch. Salt air spots cotton and mildews wool. Labeled indoor/outdoor only, and bring them in for winter.

Questions We Get

Throw Pillow Questions

How many throw pillows should a sofa have?
Three on a standard sofa, five on anything longer than 90 inches. Work in odd numbers, keep two of them matched at the outside corners, and let the middle pillow be the one with personality — the hooked lobster, the monogram, the needlepoint.
What size throw pillow is right?
Twenty inches for the sofa corners, 18 inches for chairs, and a 12 x 20 lumbar for the middle. Buy an insert two inches larger than the cover; that is the whole secret to a pillow that looks like a decorator did it instead of one that slumps.
Are hand-hooked wool pillows worth the price?
Yes, and they are the pieces people ask about. Hooked wool is loomed by hand, so the motif has real dimension and the pillow keeps its shape for decades. Chandler 4 Corners and Peking Handicraft are the two makers we buy again and again.
Can I use indoor pillows on a porch?
Not for long. Salt air and morning damp will spot cotton and mildew a wool pillow. For a porch or a screened room, buy covers labeled indoor/outdoor and bring them in for the winter.
How do I mix patterns without it looking busy?
One stripe, one floral or toile, one solid texture, all sharing a single blue. Vary the scale — a wide cabana stripe next to a small block print — and the mix reads collected instead of chaotic.
Covers or full pillows?
Covers, almost always. They ship cheaper, they wash, and you can change the whole room for the season while keeping the same inserts. Only buy the full pillow when the shape itself is the point, like a buoy or an anchor.
Free Guide + The List

The Coastal Cottage Styling Guide

A 12-page Nantucket-inspired playbook — hydrangea-blue rooms, weathered cedar curb appeal, and the pieces I'd buy again tomorrow. Plus the weekly Sunday finds. Free, no spam.

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