What’s the difference between an oxford pillow case and a housewife pillow case?

Completing your bedding and duvet set in terms of comfort, functionality and style pillowcases, also referred to as pillow covers, provide soft comfort against the skin, help protect dirt, dust and stains from entering the pillow's fibres or filling and add an attractive, usually coordinating finish to the bed.

The house wife pillow case is by far the most common type of pillow cover, found in most homes today. It is no fuss and simple, covering the whole pillow and generally having a tucked flap to make sure everything stays neat and contained. These tend to be the most cost effective as there is no wastage of materials during manufacture.

The Oxford pillow case is rather more elegant with a border or frill all around the edge which can be anything from 2cm to 10cm. The corners of a traditional Oxford pillow case are mitred but these days as long as it has a border of some form it is classed as Oxford.

The Oxford pillow case can be rather more expensive that the traditional housewife as it uses more material to manufacture and tends to be more dressy and stylish. Although a pillow covered with an Oxford pillowcase looks larger the actual pillow used size is the same as one covered with a housewife style pillowcase.

To help protect the actual pillow further some people use both styles of pillowcases, putting the housewife style onto the pillow first with the Oxford style over the top. This 'double' protection is ideal for children's beds and for those who are prone to dribbling or have heavy colds as it helps to prevent the pillow from becoming marked and stained.

Choosing between an Oxford and a housewife pillowcase will also depend on the decorating style of your bedroom. As previously mentioned Oxford pillow slips are more flamboyant and elegant, giving your bed a polished, designer look, which is ideal for a range of decorating motifs from traditional to Shabby Chic.

On the other hand a contemporary or minimalist décor would favour a housewife style of pillowcase as it visually provides straight lines without any frills or flounces. Put simply, if you remove the mitred border from an Oxford pillow case you get a housewife pillow case. As such, it's a matter of personal choice which type you select.