Creative napkin folds bring distinctive details to your place settings. We can’t think of a better way to show off your best stainless steel silverware sets than adorning them in a stylish pocket napkin fold. Your silverware choices reflect your style, and showing them off is a way to personalize and enhance your dining experience.
Cloth napkins go beyond functionality, adding elegance and sophistication to your table setting. When it comes to creative folds, there are dozens of different napkin designs for every season, from butterfly designs on a late spring brunch table to roses at a summer garden party. And let’s not forget the holidays, with pumpkins on Thanksgiving, to Christmas trees on the holidays. Napkin designs are also a great way to incorporate other decorative details into your tablescapes, from adding ribbon, natural sprigs of greenery, or stylish napkin rings.
Since we’re all about ways to showcase your best flatware, we wanted to look at the pocket napkin fold. What we discovered was a type of napkin fold that has come a long way since the days of the buffet lineup, as you grasped your flatware tucked away in a paper napkin.
We learned there is a difference between a simple pocket fold and a buffet fold. They both look chic and polished, but the pocket fold tends to be an easier fold to create. It can be used for casual to formal settings. It’s a functional fold, with its primary purpose being to hold a set of silverware.
The buffet fold is more elegant and something you might see used in a formal setting. You’ll often see these folds with multiple pockets at a wedding reception, with the silverware tucked in the top pocket and a blossom in the lower fold. These designs need more folding and layering, and we’ve included two different possibilities. Don’t worry, we provided instructions and a video!
A brief history of napkin folds
You may be surprised to learn that there was a time when napkins weren’t just for wiping your hands or protecting your clothes; they were works of art. In their book, The Beauty of the Fold, Charlotte Birnbaum and Joan Sallas talk about how in the 16th century, in Florence, Italy, it was fashionable to wear voluminous clothing. As the clothing became more extravagant, so did the dining table, with napkins getting bigger and bigger. Soon, they began folding and pleating the starched linens and creating large table centerpieces, which they called “triumphs”. These triumphant table toppers depicted mystical creatures as well as animals and natural elements like trees.
At wedding banquets, the guests would receive a personal napkin that reflected whether they were a man or a woman, and the bride and groom each received a uniquely designed napkin.
It seems this aristocratic tradition came to a gruesome and abrupt end when the aristocrats were sent to the guillotine during the French Revolution.
A more modest form of folding napkins survived the revolution, and today, folded napkins add charm to our table settings.
Photo courtesy of The Travel Pockets blog: The Complete Guide to Visiting Hampton Court Palace
Where to put the napkin
From our research, there doesn’t seem to be a hardcore approach to napkin placement. That doesn’t mean you should just throw it onto the plate! It should have an intentional placement.
If there is room between place settings on the table, the napkin can be placed to the left of the fork. Otherwise, you can place the napkin on the plate or over the charger like in the photo below:
If you don’t have the room on the left side of the plate, it’s best to place the napkin on the plate. Where should you never place the napkin? It’s a no-no to place your napkin in the water glass or teacup, even if it does look pretty.
We think placing pocket fold napkins directly on the plate looks laid-back and elegant. Plus, it allows you to display your best stainless steel silverware sets.
3 easy napkin folds to flaunt your best flatware
Angled Pocket Fold
A bright yellow napkin in a simple angled pocket napkin fold will showcase your best silverware sets. Shown here is the Jason flatware set in a rustic nascent steel finish.
- Here are the folding instructions:
- Unfold the napkin so that the seams of the bottom are facing down towards the table.
- Flip the bottom edge and bring it to meet the top edge. (It is now a rectangular shape.)
- Grab the right edge and bring it over to the left edge. (Square shape, now.)
- The top left corner will have layers. Take one layer of the top left corner and bring it down to the bottom right corner.
- Turn the napkin over.
- Fold the right edge in towards the center about 1/3 of the way. (The angled pocket is now visible on the right side.)
- Take the left side and fold it over, tucking the bottom neatly into the pocket.
- Flip the napkin over. You will have a diagonal fold.
- Tuck your fork and knife into the pocket fold.
Follow along with this video:
🍽️ 🍽️ 🍽️
Modern Buffet Fold
A bold orange napkin in a modern diamond-like pocket fold brings out the brilliant shine of your best stainless steel silverware sets. Shown here is the Camellia flatware set in an antique copper finish.
Here are the folding instructions:
- Open the napkin and fold the bottom edge to the top edge. This will give you a rectangular shape.
- Take the right side and fold it over to the left edge. (Square shape.)
- Take one layer of the top left corner over to the bottom right corner.
- Crease that and unfold it, returning it to the top left corner.
- Take the left corner and fold it until it touches the crease you just made.
- Take the new edge and fold it over into the same crease.
- Now take the new fold and fold it again over the crease.
- Continue with the next layer of the left-hand edge and fold it over until it touches the current pocket.
- Fold over the new edge into the middle to meet the pocket edge.
- Turn the napkin over.
- Rotate it one turn until it takes on a diamond shape.
- Take the right point over to the left until it is just past the center.
- Fold over the left side in the same way, just overlapping the right side, checking that the top triangle shape is symmetrical.
- Turn the napkin over one last time.
- You should have two pockets.
- Line up your best flatware sets in the top or bottom only, or use a combination of both for a unique setting.
Follow along with this video:
🍽️ 🍽️ 🍽️
Kite-Shaped Buffet Fold
This bright green napkin takes on the look of a kite. The distinctive pocket and design let you fan out your best stainless steel silverware sets for a playful display. Shown here is the Diana PVD flatware collection.
Here are the folding instructions:
- Fold the bottom edge to the top edge, creating a rectangular shape.
- Form a square by folding the right edge over to meet the left edge.
- Take one layer from the top left and fold it down to the bottom right corner. Press firmly to form a crease and return the fold.
- Refold that corner down to the creased line until the tip touches the crease.
- The new edge at the top is then folded over to the crease line. Now fold it over one more time.
- Grasp the next corner layer and fold it over so that the point is slightly over the middle edge of the pouch fold. Tuck it under the fold and flatten the top corner fold.
- Take the folded edge and fold it over again until it lines up with the first pouch fold.
- Lastly, fold that over so it partially covers the existing pouch.
- Turn the whole napkin over and rotate it into a diamond shape.
- Turn the left corner edge towards the middle until it lines up vertically in the center.
- Do the same with the right edge until it forms a point.
- Flip the napkin over and place your flatware in the pocket.
This fold is more complex, so be sure to follow along with the video:
What size napkin should I use?
Have you ever been to an event and noticed the napkins were much larger than the ones you use at home? That’s because different sizes of napkins serve specific purposes.
Here’s an outline of the various-sized napkins and their uses:
5 by 5 inches: Designed for cocktail parties and standing events, these are the smallest-sized napkins available. Cocktail napkins have become popular as bar cart accessories and coffee table décor.
14 by 14 inches to 16 by 16 inches: For meals that require utensils, like lunch or brunch, these luncheon napkins are the ideal size. They can also be used at a tea party or a dessert-only party.
17 by 17 inches to 20 x 20 inches: Considered informal dinner napkins, these napkins are large enough to cover a person's lap while eating. This size is great for creating pocket folds and displaying your best stainless steel silverware sets. (To create our pocket folds, we used 17-by-17-inch napkins.)
22 by 22 inches to 26 x 26 inches: You may notice these larger napkins at formal affairs, such as banquets and weddings. They are typically used for multiple-course meals.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this look at napkin folding with a purpose. And if you’ve never considered napkin folds that let you flaunt your best flatware, we hope you’ll give these a try.
🍽️ 🍽️ 🍽️
