Euro Pillow Sham’s Evolution

Looking at the usage of Euro (from European) shams in the old days and today, one can say that there is more than meets the eye. “Sham” means trick. Thus, a pillow sham is a “trick” covering. The first usage of decorative pillows was by ancient Egyptian, Chinese and Persian times. They had to utilize more complicated dyes and fabric weaving. With the arrival of the industrial revolution, new methods were done. Difficulty in obtaining the necessary raw materials became history because of machinery and ease of transportation. Today, even top fashion design companies are into this fruitful business.

Usually, the Euro pillow sham has a dimension of 26×26 square inches. Most of the shams have a border that is about one-inch wide. With modern designers’ imaginations gone extreme, various types of designs and sizes came out. Some have image of prominent personalities. Others resemble like a chilly pepper or a banana. They also are made in cylindrical shape.

Shams were originally used for the beautifying of bedrooms and for sleeping. Presently, people use them also in window seats and living room sofas. They are now use as a support just as people would with regular pillows. They are named according to their main purpose. Accent pillows are ones that are designed to highlight or accent a part of the room. In general, there are only two types of pillow shams. Standard shams are the standard American pillows while European shams are the Euro square pillows. Euro pillows are usually sewn into shams. Both American and Euro shams are used together sometimes, which gives the furniture a luxurious and “layered” look.

Shams can be purchased separately or as part of a set for your bed room. There is also a fairly common misconception out there that a bed sham and pillow sham are the same thing. A bed sham is a bed skirt which covers the box spring of the bed. Pillow shams because of their size can be used to prop up ones body when in bed to watch television or to read a book.

Overall we can see that euro shams are a must have for any home no matter what ones economical background. This will give the house a more complete and decorative look and feel.