4 elegant napkin folding techniques

Place the napkin with the back side facing upwards. Take a fork, and gently insert it into the centre of the napkin. Ensure it gets a good hold of the fabric. Now twist the fork around itself so that the napkin twirls into a spiral around its centre. You can gently guide the napkin with the hand not holding the fork. When the entire napkin is twisted around itself, turn it gently, and fold the four corners under the flower. The rose is now complete and can be placed on the plate. Tip: If the table setting allows for it, the rose can also be placed in a glass or mug.

Place the napkin with the back side facing up and fold it in half to create a rectangle. Then fold it in half again to form a square. Place the corner with the napkin's four loose edges at the top. Fold down the sides of the napkin one by one, as shown in the video. Now, turn the napkin over. Now fold both sides towards the centre, over each other, and fold the bottom up under the sides. Turn the napkin over again, and a beautiful Christmas tree will now appear. Place it on a plate, either lying down or standing up, and optionally add a nice place card for your guest.

Unfold the napkin, and place it with the back side facing up. Now fold once diagonally, corner to corner, so it forms a triangle. Rotate the napkin so that the longest side is facing you, with the two pointed ends pointing towards each hand. Now fold the napkin in sections of 2–3 cm from bottom to top. Stop when you have reached approximately two-thirds of the way up towards the top of the triangle. Now turn the napkin 90 degrees and roll it so that it resembles a snail shell. Continue until there are approximately 10 centimetres remaining, and secure the remaining piece of the napkin in one of the outer folds, as shown in the video. The napkin now forms a rose at one end, with two corners protruding from the other. Then, pull apart these two corners to each side, and place the napkin on the plate so that the corners act as leaves beneath the rose.

Unfold the napkin, and place it with the back facing upwards. Now, fold the napkin once diagonally, from bottom to top. Grasp the centre of the napkin with one hand, and form a ring with the thumb and index finger of the other hand, as shown in the video. Now, pull the napkin about halfway through your fingers. Now slide the napkin ring on, so it keeps the napkin together. Fold three out of four corners under the napkin ring to hide it – see which corners in the video. Place the napkin on the plate with the unfolded corner at the bottom. Insert the knife and fork into the centre of the napkin ring, and optionally add a touch of greenery or a name card for your guest.