Pillow closure refers to the ‘way’ one seam of a decorative pillow is closed. While three of the different sides of a square pillow are permanently closed one of them may remain open to take the pillow insert in and out.

There are many methods of closing a pillow’s fourth seam. Below, you’ll find a description, a picture and some pros & cons of each method or type, as they might pertain to guestroom or public design.

Hidden Zipper

At the point where the two knife edges come together on the 4th side, a small zipper is sewn in. The zipper is inset and therefore sits below the actual edge, giving it the hidden adjective. The zipper is always installed on the ‘bottom’ seam of a square pillow and along the bottom side of a bolster pillow.

Pros: It is the most typical type of pillow closure. It's easy to access the zipper and therefore take the insert in and out for cleaning.
Cons: The zipper is a hard metal piece so, using with pillows that may be slept on is not necessarily recommended.

Envelope

This closure can also be referred to as an ‘overlap closure’ and is typical of bed shams. It is formed by seaming closed all 4 edges of the pillow and the back panel of fabric being made with two overlapping panels that meet in the center. The insert is put through the slit at the back and is hidden from view by the overlapping panels.

Pros: It is usually used with pillow shams on beds. The insert is easily accessible for housecleaning purposes and without an added element. They are perfect for guests to sleep on.

Permanent Closure

This type of pillow simply has all seams permanently closed. This means that the insert is permanently enclosed within the pillow and cannot be removed.

Pros: These pillows are easy and no hassle, meaning they are straight forward in production and use. Plus, there are no elements that will take away from the design at all.
Cons: They are permanently closed, therefore you cannot take the insert out to clean the cover or replace just the insert. This should definitely be thought through in high use areas.

Button Closure

This technically is not a closure but a decorative element that looks like a closure. One of the above closures would still be chosen and this element added by some shape of overlapping fabric that is ‘loose’ being folded over a seam and connecting to the rest of the pillow cover via single or multiple buttons. Typically, this is either triangular or square.

Use these words the next time you are specifying decorative pillows. All of them have uses in particular situations and can help complete your perfect design.

Though only four styles were over viewed, it is fairly simple to get creative with pillow designs. We have created a card with the most popular styles. Download it for inspiration!

Download The Pillow Styles Card