Bird & Pomegranate Percale Cotton Pillowcase Pair - Herbal Green

This is a pair of pillowcases carrying the Bird & Pomegranate design, one of the classic William Morris florals, worked here in pure cotton. The pattern runs branch and leaf across a pale ground, with small birds and pomegranate fruit picked out among the foliage, and it finishes with an oxford border, the flat framed edge that sits around the pillow rather than stopping at the seam. The record gives it a slub cotton face and a percale cotton reverse, so the two sides feel different in the hand: the slub side has a little texture and irregularity to it, the percale side the smooth, closely woven crispness that percale is known for.

A pillowcase pair is what you reach for to build up a bed rather than dress a single sleeper, and this print sits happily in a bedroom that leans towards heritage pattern and planted greenery, the kind of room where a botanical wallpaper or a fern by the window already feels at home. Because the design is reversible you can turn the pillows to change the emphasis, and because the border is oxford rather than plain you get a made-up, finished look even with everyday pillows behind it. It works layered against solid linens or against a coordinating printed sheet.

Cotton is breathable and takes a wash well, which is what you want against your face night after night, and the percale reverse in particular launders back to a clean, cool finish. The face is described as garment washed, a treatment that softens the cloth before it reaches you, so it should feel lived-in rather than stiff from the first night. Style it with the wider Bird & Pomegranate bedding if you are dressing the whole bed, or let the pair stand as the pattern note over quieter bedlinen.

What is an oxford border?

It is a flat fabric frame stitched around the edge of the pillowcase, so the cloth extends past the pillow itself and gives a neat, framed finish on the bed.

Are the two sides different?

Yes. The record describes a slub cotton face with a little texture and a smooth percale cotton reverse, and the design is reversible, so you can show either side.

What does percale feel like?

Percale is a closely woven plain-weave cotton with a crisp, cool, matt handle rather than a sheen, which many people prefer against the skin in warmer weather.

Is this pure cotton?

Yes, both the face and the reverse are 100% cotton, a breathable natural fibre that washes well and is comfortable to sleep against night after night.

How many pillowcases do I get?

This is sold as a pair, so you receive two matching pillowcases, enough to dress both pillows on a bed with the same design.