Brooklinen Down Pillow review − soft and supportive but a little oversized

Even as I requested the Brooklinen Down Pillow for testing, I was skeptical. As a stomach sleeper, I appreciate a flatter pillow: anything too plush tends to lift my head and strain my neck. This pillow proved me wrong. Brooklinen strikes a careful balance between softness and support that kept me comfortable all night long. 

A lot of down pillows are filled with individual feathers, which can poke through the pillowcase and scratch your skin. Brooklinen skirts this issue by filling their pillow with down clusters, instead, with plenty of fluff and few filaments. These spherical shapes create natural loft, which is what makes plush pillows look so good against your headboard.

As H&G's resident sleep writer, I lead a team of expert testers. Together, we've sampled some of the world's best pillows. I know my down fill from my down alternative, so I know what makes a good pillow: premium fabrics for softness, thermoregulating fill to keep cool, and a lot of natural loft for the sake of aesthetics.

Brooklinen Down Pillow review

There's no such thing as a single pillow to suit every sleeper's needs. You might appreciate the soft support of the Brooklinen Down Pillow but suffer from a feather allergy or hesitate to purchase animal products. If this sounds like you, you might get on better with the Brooklinen Down Alternative Pillow.

Brooklinen Down Pillow Specifications

Who would the Brooklinen Down Pillow suit?

• Anyone who sleeps on their front, back, or side: so, everyone. That's the whole point of custom comfort. The Brooklinen Down Pillow comes in three weights to support different styles of sleeper. I tried the Mid-Plush Pillow to find a middle ground and I slept very comfortably, even though Brooklinen recommends this weight for back sleepers. Stomach sleepers might be better off with the Plush Pillow, which falls flatter to keep your neck and spine aligned. If you sleep on your side, you need a thicker pillow with plenty of support to cushion your neck and shoulders: try the Firm Pillow.

• Anyone who likes a softer surface: according to customer reviews on the Brooklinen site, even the Firm Pillow is pretty plush. I attribute that to the down clusters, which create thousands of tiny air pockets to create loft and boost breathability.
• Anyone who likes the look of loft: the Brooklinen Down Pillow is seriously fluffy. It will look great up against your headboard or nestled amongst some of the best throw pillows.

What's it like to sleep on the Brooklinen Down Pillow?

Like I said, I was pretty skeptical going into the Brooklinen Down Pillow sleep test. I've tried too many pillows that promise plush comfort and deliver hot air. As a stomach sleeper, I prefer a flatter pillow, but I don't want to be able to feel my fitted sheet through the pillowcase. 

The Brooklinen Down Pillow squishes down just enough to cradle your head and neck without enveloping them: I never felt that I was sinking into the pillow. I tend to sleep on the side of pillow, so that I have sufficient space to breathe. Sometimes, that means I get left with the hard, coarse corners of the pillowcase. That wasn't the case with the Brooklinen Down Pillow. Those down clusters extend all the way to the edge of the pillow, so that you can feel soft support wherever you rest your head.

My only real concern with the Brooklinen Down Pillow is its size: I wonder whether its dimensions are misreported on the site, or perhaps the pillow is just too plush for comfort. I certainly struggled to stuff it inside my standard pillowcase. You can see that the fabric is straining against the pillow and the envelope closure couldn't close. It took me a few goes and some vigorous shaking of the case to fit everything inside.

Of course, this is an entirely aesthetic concern: the fact that I struggled close the envelope of my pillow didn't impact my sleep in the slightest. But pillows are supposed to look good, as well as feel good. If you want to learn how to style a bed, I recommend matching your pillows to the right-sized case before you start.

How does the Brooklinen Down Pillow rate online?

The Brooklinen Down Pillow boasts thousands of five-star reviews on the Brooklinen site. Countless customers detail their individual sleep needs and describe how the Mid-Plush Pillow met them exactly. Reviewers praise the sumptuous softness and the value for money: sounds good to me. 

There are a smattering of more mixed reviews. One of the most common complaints concerns the shipping times, but I can't relate: my Brooklinen Down Pillow made it all the way over to London, England, in just under a week. It's worth noting that several customers who purchased the Firm Pillow still found that it was too plush for comfort. If you're looking for a really firm pillow, I recommend shopping at a specialist store. I rate the Soak and Sleep New Zealand Wool Standard Pillow for springy support.

Should I buy the Brooklinen Down Pillow?

There isn't a set price for the Brooklinen Down Pillow: it fluctuates based on size and support, and tends to dip during federal holiday discounts and site-wide sales. I got the Brooklinen Down Pillow with Mid-Plush support, which costs a little more than $100. Don't get me wrong: that's a lot to spend on a pillow. You could probably pick up something cheaper at your local home store, but you wouldn't get the same support. For a luxury pillow, $100 is a pretty reasonable price point.

I'd be happy to pay that price again to get something as durable as the Brooklinen Down Pillow, but I acknowledge that it won't suit everybody's needs. Vegan shoppers and sensitive sleepers should consider a down alternative option. You could stay at Brooklinen and go for their Down Alternative Pillow, or shop the Saatva Latex Pillow.

How we test pillows

We put a lot of thought into how we test pillows. It's more than a matter of sleeping on the job. We sample pillows for weeks, if not months, to monitor their performance over time and consider how well the pillow holds its shape. We sleep through heat waves and cold snaps to assess the pillow's thermoregulating properties. 

We also consider appearances: the best pillow has plenty of natural loft to form part of a beautiful bedspread. We compare our own experience against countless customer reviews to account for diverse sleep needs. We consider which sort of sleeper would be best supported by a particular pillow: for example, vegan shoppers will appreciate a down alternative pillow more than most. Finally, we compare the performance of the pillow against its price to determine value for money.