Dining with Lilly Green

Classic and modern napkin folding can turn even the simplest table setting into an elegant display. Most folds are much easier than they appear and will take less time than you would imagine. 

The best results will always be achieved by using well-pressed and lightly starched cotton, or linen, napkins. You can use spray starch and an iron to get the stiff condition of the fabric, however, I seldom bother and would nearly always make due with just running a hot steam iron over the napkin before folding.

While classic serviette folding is done with white napkins, a less formal look can be achieved by using coloured, patterned, or structured napkins. This is especially useful when wanting to add, accentuate, or highlight a colour scheme. In my own personal opinion, the simpler the fold is, the nicer the table setting will be. This is of course a matter of taste and some intricate looking folds, such as the Lotus fold or the Bird of paradise would definitely also look stunning on a dinner table.

Lilly Napkin Green

For the different arrangements these photos I have used our Lilly Napkin in green colour with the Lilly Table Runner Blue as a back drop. To these I have added herbs and flowers that are currently in season and in bloom in the garden. I have also used natural raphia ribbons to tie the napkins and pieces of slate from an old chalk board to make place cards.

The Napkin Folds

For the short roll I fold the napkin twice to create a square shape, then once more to get a rectangle. After this I rolled the short ends round two fingers and tied the raphia ribbon around the centre. For the long roll I repeated the first two folds and then rolled the napkin around two fingers. The ribbon was then tied slightly off centre, towards one end.

‘Buffet’ is the name of the napkin fold that contains the cutlery and below is a diagram of how to fold this simple, yet effective shape.

With a beautiful linen napkin like Lilly you can choose to add as much or as little decorations as you like. Use whatever is at your disposal. Things that grow in your garden, a few cut flowers from your local florist, or whatever interesting plants, flowers, twigs etc. you can collect in the wood.

With the addition of a few candles and your best crystal wine glasses you can transform your dining table into a work of art and make your guests feel like they have entered a fine-dining establishment.