Necessity is the mother of invention

(Image courtesy of BBC/Twentysix 03 taken by the fabulous Clinton Forde)

"Necessity is the mother of invention" as the saying goes .... and that is exactly how Pillowpart was created.

 I'm Emma, the creator of Pillowpart and like many people that share a bed with their other half, I have spent many sleepless nights lying awake with my husband Alan snoring away, blowing breath in my face as he does ...and in these hours of lying there my head just used to swirl with ideas of how to combat this. 

In December 2023 I spotted a facebook post from a TV production company asking if anyone has an idea for a new invention but doesn't know how to take it to the next step...and I thought to myself, well actually, I do! 

So I applied, and they loved the idea, and to cut a long story short I was selected to take part in this new show, hosted by the fabulous Sara Davies which will be broadcast on BBC 1 early 2025... and they brought my idea to life!

And that was how it all started... I came back after filming and myself and Alan have spent most of this year (2024) redesigning, testing and developing Pillowpart and we feel we really have a product that works, is simple to use and it makes a real difference to my sleep so I am happy to be able to share it with everyone else now too! Where it really comes into its own is when one of you is feeling ill...because the partition is made from a waterproof material, it acts as a barrier...so no need to worry about passing airborne germs on while being in such close proximity. 

And the great thing is you can still have a cuddle even if Pillowpart is open, it doesn't affect that.... and when you've had a row, it makes a great statement when you drop it down between you at bedtime! 

We decided from the beginning that we didn't want to ship from overseas, so my first mission was to source a UK based plastics supplier. I hit the jackpot when I discovered there was a company -PROTOSHAPE - based in Linlithgow...literally 20 minutes from my house. And even better, it was a family run business! This team really have been instrumental in the development of Pillowpart. They have been with us every step of the way helping us test out different designs and materials. And trust me...we have had lots of challenges along the way with the design of Pillowpart, but they have stuck with us and I really do think we have created something special now. 

We also source our fabrics from a UK company because I really do believe in supporting home grown businesses. 

Once we have the plastic base, every Pillowpart is then handcrafted - we have to cut, score and heat press all the folds in the partitions to make sure they hold their shape. Each lid is then hand covered with the fabrics - another skill I had to trial and error many, many times to get right,  and we make the centre fastening strap ourselves as well. It really is a labour of love that goes into making every single Pillowpart and a real family team effort!

Every Pillowpart comes in a white base box with a  grey waterproof canvas partition. They have a grey canvas strap and fasten with a Cam buckle to go around your headboard. (other strap colours may be an option - get in touch to enquire).

It's the Pillowpart 'facing' that you can customise and choose which colour and fabric you prefer. We then hand craft this before adding the lid back to the box. 

There are images of each fabric further down this page to help you choose.

We also offer a strap free version of Pillowpart which attaches to a stand that slides underneath your mattress and then the weight of your mattress holds it in place.  This option is our favourite as you can't see any straps running over your headboard so it looks a lot more compact and neater - and it also doesn't matter what size your headboard is....in fact, you don't even need a headboard at all if you choose the stand version! Now everyone can have better bedtimes!