A dark teal linen pillowcase in housewife style, 100% linen at 200 GSM, stonewashed. A clean rectangle with an envelope closure on the back and no border, so nothing fastens and nothing shows.
Construction
Housewife construction - the case is the pillow's shape and nothing more. Nothing extends past the pillow, so a row of them sits flush under the edge of a duvet cover and stacks flat in a cupboard, and there is no border between your cheek and the linen. Weighing it against the bordered style? housewife vs oxford pillowcase covers how the two differ and which suits which bed.
The listed size is the case. Sizes run across US, EU and square pillows - see the size selector above for the full list, and the size guide if you are matching a pillow you already have.
The color
Dark Teal is a deep blue-green that reads close to black in low light. On this style the color arrives as one uninterrupted panel - no ruffle, no border, nothing crossing it - so the shade is read straight off the cloth and sits against a duvet cover in the same color without a seam between them.
The shade is dyed into the linen rather than printed on it, so the color runs through the cloth and reads the same on both faces of the case. Linen takes dye unevenly by nature and the stonewash lifts that further: expect slight variation across the panel and between batches. That variation is the fabric, not a fault.
The fabric
The cloth is 100% linen, stonewashed. 200 GSM sits at the heavier end of the medium-weight range - more body in the cloth, so the case keeps its rectangle instead of clinging to the pillow.
Stonewashing is why the case arrives already soft - the cloth is washed before it reaches you, so there is no break-in period and nothing starched against your face on the first night. The surface stays matte.
It is also why this case does not shrink. The washing happens to the cloth before anything is cut, so the shrinking is already done: the size on the label is the size it stays. Our raw linen is different - that cloth is cut oversized to absorb 3-5% of shrinkage in its first washes, which matters more on a pillowcase than on most things, because a case that shrinks stops fitting the pillow.
How it changes
Linen softens with use. Stonewashed linen starts further along that curve and keeps going: after several washes the surface develops a slight texture. Linen does not pill.
Care
Wash before first use - cold water, delicate cycle, with like colors. For ongoing care, machine wash at 40 °C (104 °F) on a delicate cycle. Do not bleach. Tumble dry low. Ironing is not necessary; linen carries a soft crease naturally. Full details: linen care guide.
Certification and origin
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified - the fabric and thread are tested for substances that affect skin and lungs, which is worth more on a pillowcase than on most things, because it spends the night against your face. The flax is European; every piece is cut and sewn in our own workshop near Riga, Latvia - not subcontracted, not relabelled from elsewhere.
Common questions
What does housewife mean on a pillowcase?
That it has no border. The case is a plain rectangle the size of the pillow, closed with an internal flap. The bordered alternative is the oxford, which carries a flat 2 in / 5 cm flange around the edge.
Should I wash this before first use?
Yes. New linen should always be washed before first use - cold water, delicate cycle, with like colors.
Does it shrink?
No. The cloth is washed before it is cut, so it has already shrunk; the finished case keeps the size you ordered. That is the practical difference from raw linen, which shrinks 3-5% and is cut oversized to allow for it.
Will the color fade?
Wash cold or warm, not hot, and dry on low. Strong sun and hot water are what pull color out of any dyed natural fiber; normal machine washing at 40 °C (104 °F) does not.
How does it close?
An envelope closure - an internal flap the pillow tucks behind. No buttons, no zip, nothing to press against your head.
