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Best Bed Shams

Corey Majeau

When you first walk into a bedroom what is the very first thing to catch your eye? The bed of course! If you are looking to create any design element in your bedroom, start with your bed! Adding additional pillows to your made bed helps to create variety and tone to your bedroom. But you aren’t going to just want a bunch of sleeping pillows added to your bed, what you are looking for is a bed sham.

RankProductHighlights
#1Pinzon Egyptian Cotton

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  • Product dimension Measures 20 x 26 inches
  • Product weight: 8.8 ounces
  • Material: 100% Egyptian cotton
#2JAUXIO Long Faux Fur Soft

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  • Product Measures: Various sizes available
  • Material: Polyester microfiber
  • Enclosure: Zipper
#3TangDepot Solid Velvet Sham

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  • Product dimensions: Various choices available
  • Fabric: Polyester velvet flannel
  • Enclosure: Zipper
#4Raytrue-X Microfiber Pillow

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  • Product Size: 20 x 26 inches
  • Package dimensions: 11.42 x 9.72 x 1.57 inches
  • Weight: 6.7 ounces
#5Flber Tasseled Sham

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  • Product size: 18.9 x 29.1 inches or 19.7in x 35.5 inches
  • Package dimensions: 11.3 x 10 x 0.9 inches
  • Product weight: 8.8 oz
#6NTBAY Pillow Shams

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  • Product size: Standard, Queen, King or Square Euro
  • Package dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
  • Product weight: 9.6 ounces

A bed sham is a cover for a pillow and is a quick and easy way to transform any regular pillow or stuffing into a special design feature. There are all kinds of shams that can help elevate your room style. You can choose from the most simplistic lines to exotic materials or fabulous patterns. A bed sham is an inexpensive purchase that can make a big impact on the look of your bedroom.

You can also use it as a cover for your regular sleeping pillow that you put on when you make your bed adding a decorative detail to your bedding set. Then at bedtime, you take off the sham cover, revealing the sleeping pillow underneath. These days, as bed shams have so many options now, many pillow shams are made from materials that are also meant to be slept on. These shams are usually made from a lighter weight material and do not have as much structure as a classical sham.

If you are looking for more of a decorative detail, pick a more structured sham. You may find others in interesting and fun materials or shapes or some that have special detailing like buttons or fringe. A pillow sham can definitely add some zoom into your room and you don’t have to stay confined to the bedroom. You can also use a sham as an accent piece to brighten up the look of your couch or easy chair.

As a decorative piece, pillow shams are a great way to add some variety and enhance the look of your room. For example, pillow shams can be used for a pop of color that can compliment the main palette of your room. A mix of materials is another way to upgrade the style of your room. You might add a silky sham or a brocaded sham to your bed set. For a truly luxurious look in your bedroom, pile on and layer multiple shams to turn a bare bed into an oasis of style.

Types of Closures

Pillow shams and pillowcases may seem similar, but they are different in terms of form and function. Pillowcases have a visible, open end on one side where you can slip the pillow into the case. Pillow shams often have an opening for the pillow on the back that is covered with overlapping fabric. This opening is not meant to be seen, so shams look as though they cover the whole pillow. Here are some basic closures you may see:

  • Envelope: An envelope closure has two panels of fabric that overlap, leaving an envelope style closure into which you slip your pillow.
  • Zipper: A zipper closure may be used to finish the sham with either an invisible zipper or use an exposed zipper.
  • Flap: This flap allows you to tuck the pillow inside and then use a flap to keep the open end from showing.
  • Permanent closure: If you get this type of pillow, all of the seams are permanently closed and the pillow cannot be removed.

Top 6 Bed Sham Reviews

1. Pinzon Egyptian Cotton

SPECS:

  • Product dimension Measures 20 x 26 inches
  • Product weight: 8.8 ounces
  • Material: 100% Egyptian cotton

Best for Sleeping

When you have had a long day and you are ready for a deep night’s sleep, nothing beats the feel of Egyptian cotton when curling up in bed. Egyptian cotton offers a sought-after combination of superior strength and luxurious softness. This is a sleeping sham and you do not have to take it off when you are going to bed.  With a 400 thread count and a sateen weave, why would you? The Pinzon Egyptian Cotton Bed Sham creates a silky sheen and assures you a night of sleep filled with comfort. The sham boasts a colored, embroidered stitching band around the envelope closure on a two-inch flange. You can choose your color details from these options: black, espresso, navy, silver-blue, silver-gray and taupe. The sham is easy to care for because it is machine washable and dryable. The product is made in an OEKO-TEX Standard 100 factory, which is an independent system that certifies that the textiles meet high safety and environmental standards.

ProsCons
  • Machine washable
  • Color options
  • Egyptian cotton
  • High thread count
  • Highly rated customer reaction
  • Not a standard size
  • One sham

Who Should Buy This Sham

If you are looking for a sham to add to your bedding set that is a soft, high quality breathable Egyptian cotton, one you can sleep on directly, this fulfills your needs perfectly.

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2. JAUXIO Long Faux Fur Soft

SPECS:

  • Product Measures: Various sizes available
  • Material: Polyester microfiber
  • Enclosure: Zipper

Best for your Internal Diva

With a shaggy plush microfiber on the front and a soft velvet feel on the back, these shams can’t help but bring in the drama!  With twenty-one color choices you could really have fun with the options available to you. They come in five different sizes and two in each order.  If you really want to build up your boudoir, then these long Faux Fur Shams from JAUXIO give you all the well-constructed tools to pull from.

ProsCons
  • Unique
  • Additional matching products available   
  • Super soft
  • Wrinkle, shrink and fade resistant
  • Comes in a pair
  • Machine washable (read directions)
  • 30 day return and replace service
  • Specific laundry directions

Who Should Buy This Sham

If you are looking for a touch of drama to help lift the decor of your bedroom, this ultra fluffy pillow sham set is the choice for you. 

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3. TangDepot Solid Velvet Sham

SPECS:

  • Product dimensions: Various choices available
  • Fabric: Polyester velvet flannel
  • Enclosure: Zipper

Best Variety

Customers rave about the soft feel of the TangDepot shams as well as being taken in with the color and the construction.  I guess that is why these pillows have an eighty percent five star rating on Amazon!

The toughest part is going to be deciding between their dozens of unique color choices and over ten size variations.  These are well constructed with a color matching hidden zipper.  Now that is attention to detail!

ProsCons
  • Multiple color options
  • Multiple sizes to choose from
  • Lifetime money back guarantee
  • Machine washable
  • Luxuriously soft fabric
  • Hidden Zipper
  • Only one sham per purchase

Who Should Buy This Sham

If you were never satisfied with the limited choices from a small box of Crayola crayons, you will love the abundant colors (and sizes) to choose from with the TangDepot shams.

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4. Raytrue-X Microfiber Pillow

SPECS:

  • Product Size: 20 x 26 inches
  • Package dimensions: 11.42 x 9.72 x 1.57 inches
  • Weight: 6.7 ounces

Best for Pleating Detail

When shopping for shams you can end up flipping through a lot of white, off-white or plain colored shams. But if the point of your pillow sham is to elevate the look of your bed then you are going to want something with a bit more flair. That is why you will love these shams with their exquisite pinch pleating that sets them apart from a standard sham. The ultra soft microfiber fabric is super soft to the touch.  Plus they have eight colors to choose from and they are sold in a package of two. Place these on your bed and you really will have set the tone for your room.

ProsCons
  • Two shams included
  • Eight colors to choose from
  • Machine washable
  • Nice detailing
  • Breathable 
  • Fade Resistant
  • Lightweight
  • Light pillowcase structure
  • Unknown closure type

Who Should Buy This Sham

If you are looking to upgrade to a sophisticated look for your bedding set, try these artistic pinch pleated pillow shams. 

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5. Flber Tasseled Sham 

SPECS:

  • Product size: 18.9 x 29.1 inches or 19.7in x 35.5 inches
  • Package dimensions: 11.3 x 10 x 0.9 inches
  • Product weight: 8.8 oz

Best for Decorating

If you are looking for a unique sham then these 100% washed cotton weave shams have decorative tassels that make them look as if you bought them in a small boutique while traveling abroad. The sham has an envelope-slit opening at the back that fits a regular queen sized pillow. The shams come in a set of two, which makes them a real bargain. The tassel detailing adds a real distinctive look but surprisingly and thankfully, the shams are still machine washable.

ProsCons
  • Inexpensive
  • Two shams included
  • Unique
  • Two color options
  • Detailed
  • 100% cotton
  • Small
  • Side closure

Who Should Buy This Sham

If you are looking for a unique sham with plenty of details this set of shams is a great bargain.

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6. NTBAY Pillow Shams

SPECS:

  • Product size: Standard, Queen, King or Square Euro
  • Package dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
  • Product weight: 9.6 ounces

Best Budget

For a great budget buy you will love the NTBAY pillow sham.

These 100% microfiber shams are smooth, simple, and fun. They have a truly wide variety of colors and shapes available that will fit in nearly any design scheme. The shams are well constructed and bordered by a decorative flange, which helps to protect the stitching of the sham itself. You get two shams in your set at a very affordable price. NTBAY Pillow Shams have a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, allowing you to try these shams with minimal risk.

ProsCons
  • Fade Resistant
  • Wrinkle resistant
  • Large variety of colors
  • Inexpensive
  • Two shams in a pack
  • Thin material

Who Should Buy This Sham

If you have teens or kids in college who are looking for bright colors options to add a bit of fun to their room or dorm room these low priced shams are a great pick.

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Bottom Line 

You can elevate your bedroom by just adding some pillow shams. Using a pillow sham is an easy, inexpensive way to create a unique design element in your space. There are many patterns and colors to choose from and you may want to match the colors in your room or take this opportunity to bring in a pop of something new and contrasting. The small addition of bed shams to your room can make a large impact. You can’t go wrong in your choices so grab what strikes your fancy and have fun adding this new element to your bedroom.

Photo credit: Vineyard Perspective/Shutterstock