A Complete Guide to Pillows

Explore beautifully crafted designer pillows to elevate each space in your home with our guide to pillow materials, construction, styling, and care.

Noteworthy Features Materials Construction Printing Techniques Outdoor Pillows Vintage Pillows Pillow Styling Care Tips

Noteworthy Pillow Features

It’s all in the details—from lining to edging, these pillow cover features make each textile an investment-worthy piece.

Finishing Touches

A simple but elevated trim completes each pillow cover, allowing the construction or pattern of the textile to shine. Among other techniques, our pillows are finished with a knife-edge, double-flange, merrow edge, envelope enclosure, or fringe.

Backing & Lining

While some pillow covers include a solid backing, most feature a double-sided design for increased versatility. All pillows are crafted with a cotton lining to increase their overall durability and elevate their quality.

Pillow Inserts

Made from duck feather and down, McGee & Co. pillow inserts have a premium feel that settles beautifully. Designed to achieve an overfilled look, there is no need to size up for a perfect fit.

Pillow Cover Materials

Designed with meticulous attention to detail, every McGee & Co. pillow cover utilizes premium materials, from natural fibers to performance-rated fabrics, for lasting quality and a luxurious hand feel.

NATURAL MATERIALS

Crafted from wool, cotton, or linen, each pillow cover is derived from naturally occurring fibers. Due to the natural fluctuation of seasons, harvest locations, and growing methods, every natural-fiber textile varies slightly in color from pillow to pillow.

Wool: A strong, durable fiber that is breathable, soft to the touch, and naturally stain and wrinkle resistant. 
Cotton: A common plant fiber that balances softness and durability with cost-effective approachability. 
Linen: A natural plant fiber with a premium hand feel, natural antibacterial properties, thermoregulating properties, and long-lasting durability.

SYNTHETIC MATERIALS

Synthetic fibers feature a wide range of performance properties while their manmade nature makes them easier to control for soft, beautiful pillow covers designed for every space inside (and outside) the home.

Polyester (PET): A synthetic fiber made from recycled plastic that maintains a soft, wool-like texture. This fiber is ideal for indoor/outdoor textiles because of its incredible performance properties, such as resistance to stains, fading, mold, and mildew.

Pillow Cover Construction

Our pillow cover fabrics are either woven, knit, or loomed, providing a unique aesthetic to appreciate from pillow to pillow.

Handwoven

Handwoven fabrics are made with intentional detail, boasting craftsmanship and care. These fabrics often present as a solid color or simple motif, while they are also well-suited for block-printing techniques.

Knit

Using a knitting machine, yarns are intricately looped to produce a braided look. Patterned knit fabrics are primarily yarn-dyed before the knitting process.

Loomed

Power looms are used to create woven fabrics from any type of fiber or yarn. A loomed fabric is well-suited for any printing technique.

Printing or Dye Technique

From the traditional charm of block printing to the precision of digital printing, and the seamless consistency of fabric dyeing, explore how each print or dye technique contributes to the unique character and stunning beauty of our pillows.

BLOCK PRINTING

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Block printing involves manually carving a solid material, typically wood, by skilled artisans who then apply ink or dye onto fabric in a repeating pattern.

SPECIAL QUALITIES

The most labor-intensive of our printing techniques, this process is done by hand, and variations from print to print may occur, giving each pillow cover a distinct look.

BEST USES

Block-printed pillows make a statement in any room, and therefore pair well with neutral or natural pillows or materials that will allow them to be the focal point.

YARN DYE

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Yarn dying features spools of yarn that are individually dyed prior to being woven or knitted into the fabric.

SPECIAL QUALITIES

A timely and elevated process, the yarn dying method allows for the creation of fabrics with intricate patterns or weaves, adding unique craftsmanship and visual interest.

BEST USES

Yarn-dyed fabrics feature rich texture and color. Consider pairing with smooth-textured furniture or materials to add depth and variety to your space.

FABRIC DYE

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Our fabric dyeing technique immerses the entire woven or knitted piece into the dye, ensuring a seamless and consistently rich color palette.

SPECIAL QUALITIES

Fabric dying after weaving or knitting results in a flawless, enduring infusion of color and lasting, vibrant hues.

BEST USES

A testament to the perfect blend of craftsmanship and design, fabric dyed pillows pair well with nearly every texture and colorway of the pieces you love most.

SCREEN PRINTING

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Screen printing is a technique that intricately transfers vibrant inks onto fabric using specially crafted screens and a meticulous squeegee process.

SPECIAL QUALITIES

Ideal for simpler designs, each color and element comes to life with the precision of a new screen, offering versatility on almost any fabric.

BEST USES

Balance your screen-printed patterns with neutral patterns in the room, such as on curtains or rugs, to ensure the perfect complement to your space.

DIGITAL PRINTING

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Digital printing is performed on machines that employ an ink jet to seamlessly print intricate and colorful patterns directly onto the fabric, ensuring unparalleled detail and depth.

SPECIAL QUALITIES

Digital printing allows the creation of versatile designs that effortlessly enhance the aesthetic of any space.

BEST USES

Pair digitally printed pillows with solid-colored options to create a balanced lookand a harmonious palette.

Outdoor Pillows

Crafted with intention and care, our pre-filled Indoor/Outdoor pillows bring beautiful layers of detail to your spaces with added weather resistance and durability. From materials and technique to each design element and carefully chosen detail, vintage pillows are distinct in construction and care.

Polyester (PET) is a synthetic fiber made from recycled plastic that maintains a soft, wool-like texture. This fiber is ideal for indoor/outdoor textiles because of its incredible performance properties, such as resistance to stains, fading, mold, and mildew.

With both covers and fill made from synthetic fibers, these pillows are versatile, allowing for use indoors or out. In a variety of styles, our Indoor/Outdoor pillows bring thoughtful design elements and careful craftsmanship to your home. We recommend bringing pillows indoors during inclement weather.

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Vintage Pillows

Our vintage pillow covers are made with vintage fabrics hand-selected by our designers and crafted with precision to our standard pillow cover sizes.

From materials and technique to each design element and carefully chosen detail, vintage pillows are distinct in construction and care.

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Styling Tip

Pillow styling is a playful and accessible way to express personal style in your home. Whether you’re leaning towards a modern layered and mixed pattern look or a traditional streamlined look, it’s useful to know where to start. We recommend picking a design element in the room—pattern, texture, color—that you’re passionate about, and building the look of the pillow vignette around it through complementary choices.

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Pillows for Every Setting

From size to shape, explore our best tips for choosing the right pillows for each space in your home.

SOFA

While there is no specific formula for pillow styling, we like to start with a 24x24 inch pillow, layering several 22x22 or 20x20 pillows in front of it. This can be mirrored on the opposite side. Play with adding a lumbar pillow to the center, or a round pillow to the front of each side’s arrangement.

LOUNGE CHAIR

A lounge chair usually benefits from a single, thoughtfully chosen pillow. Whether it is a solid hue, patterned, textural, or round, choose a pillow that creates a distinct moment and playfully complements the lounge chair.

BENCH

In a seating nook or bench setting, a consistent look can achieve a welcoming feel without overcomplicating the space. Two pillows of a similar size, color palette, texture, or pattern on one side or both will create an elegant and cohesive look.

BED

Layering throw pillows on a bed creates a warm and welcoming feel in any bedroom. We recommend starting with 24x24 pillows and working your way down in layering to either a lumbar or a small, round pillow.

OUTDOOR

Regardless of the piece of furniture your pillows are styled on, always choose Indoor/Outdoor pillows for your backyard or patio spaces. Our Indoor/Outdoor pillows are intentionally craftedto withstand outdoor conditions with both patterned and solid pillow covers made from PET.