Pillows
The small component that aligns your neck and spine. Get the pillow right and the whole bed performs. Get it wrong and no mattress in the world can save you.
People will spend thousands on a bed and then keep the same pillow for ten years. The pillow is what keeps your spine straight while you sleep, and that single test matters more than anything written on the label.
Matched to the bed, and to you
Pillows are rarely chosen in isolation. First we help you find the bed that works for your body. Then we bring a selection of pillows to test on that very mattress, so you can feel how the two combine. A softer mattress wants a softer pillow and a firmer mattress a firmer one, so the two support you together rather than working against each other.
Choosing by how you sleep
- Side sleepers need more height to keep the neck level with the spine, often a firmer or three-chamber pillow.
- Back sleepers suit a medium-loft pure goose down that cushions the neck without pushing the head forward.
- Front sleepers need the softest, lowest pillow to avoid straining the neck.
The down, and where it comes from
Our pillows are the Marshall & Stewart collection, made with a specialist German atelier in Altenburg. Every stage, from animal welfare to cleaning and sorting, is carried out with real care. The birds are kept near water so they preen naturally, producing down of exceptional quality, and the down is washed, sterilised and separated in vast drying vats so the lighter, finer clusters are kept.
Three grades of goose down
- Hungarian: plentiful, with superb all-round performance.
- Canadian: larger, loftier clusters, less abundant.
- Siberian: the rarest, from the coldest climates, exceptionally light yet insulating, so less fill achieves the same support.
Silk is also available: naturally hypoallergenic and resistant to dust mites.
Three-chamber construction
Pure down cradles you in softness. For those who want a little more resistance, a three-chamber pillow gives the best of both.
- Core chamber: a sealed feather pouch for firmer support.
- Outer chambers: pure down on both sides for cloud-like softness against your face.
Casings in cotton batiste or cambric breathe well and stop feathers working their way through.
Sizes and firmness
Firmness is not a synthetic trick. It is set by how much down goes in, which is why a softer or firmer pillow feels natural rather than engineered.
Soft
The lightest fill. Down clusters give a gentle cradle, suited to front sleepers and softer mattresses.
Medium
Around 100g more fill. Versatile support for back sleepers and those who move in the night.
Firm
More fill again. Extra lift for side sleepers who need to keep the neck aligned with the spine.
Sizes
- Standard (50 x 75cm): for single, double and king beds.
- Continental square (65 x 65cm): ideal for sitting up against the headboard, often a touch firmer.
- Super king (50 x 90cm): for wider beds, avoiding the gap between partners.
- Custom: extra-long or shaped pillows made to order for bespoke beds.
Many people layer them: super king pillows as the base, standards on top for comfort, and a square pillow to sit up in bed.
Hygiene and replacement
A pillow works harder than most people realise, absorbing perspiration, skin cells and oils every night, and the fill slowly compacts and loses loft. It is more disposable than people think.
- Always use a zip-on protector beneath the pillowcase.
- Wash a down pillow every six months.
- Expect a lifespan of 18 to 24 months. Beyond that, even the best pillow loses loft and hygiene.
- Look for proper certification: Downpass for ethical sourcing, Oeko-Tex for chemical safety, and NOMITE for dust-mite protection.
What we'd steer you away from
The same honest advice we give in the showroom. These are the pillow mistakes we see most often.
Keeping a pillow too long
Past a couple of years it has lost its loft and is no longer hygienic, however good it was to begin with.
Ignoring how you sleep
A side sleeper on a soft, low pillow wakes with a sore neck. The right height for your position matters more than the price.
Too much feather
Cheap pillows pile in feather for firmness, but the sharp quills prick through. Three-chamber construction solves it properly.
A great bed, an afterthought pillow
The wrong pillow undoes the best mattress. It is the part you feel most intimately, so it is worth getting right.
Find the pillow that completes the bed
Lie on the mattress that matches your body, then test the pillow on it. That is the only way to know what perfect alignment feels like.
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