Jesus i hate this style of journalism. S/he goes on and on with useless descriptions of what the room looked like and tries to make a novel of the fucking thing. Horrible.
Why no pillows on the ISS? Weight? Fear of being smothered if it floats around and covers your nose & mouth? Can't be washed there?
Pillows help to keep the head elevated when lying on the back or on the shoulder. Since the astronauts are in zero-G, there's probably no real need for that.