Lotus Napkin Fold

Transform an ordinary paper napkin into a beautiful lotus flower with this easy fold!

Perfect for Easter, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, weddings, birthdays, and dinner parties, this elegant lotus napkin fold design adds a sophisticated touch to your table.

Plus, you can place small chocolates, treats, or a name card inside for a personalized table setting!

Looking for an easy yet elegant way to add a special touch to your table decor?

The lotus napkin fold is a stunning choice that works for any special occasion, from Christmas and Easter brunches to romantic Valentine’s Day dinners, weddings, and birthdays.

This beautiful fold creates a blooming lotus shape, making your table setting look extra special with minimal effort.

One of the best things about the lotus napkin fold is its functional design.

The petals form a small, open space in the center, allowing you to add a personalized touch by placing chocolates, small treats, name cards, or even a decorative ornament inside.

This makes it perfect for dinner parties, baby showers, bridal showers, and holiday gatherings where you want to add a little something extra for your guests.

And the best part? It’s incredibly easy to make with just a paper napkin—no scissors, glue, or extra materials required!

You can prepare these in advance so your table is ready before your guests arrive.

Choose festive red for Christmas, soft pastels for Easter, or elegant white and gold for weddings to match your theme.

No matter the occasion, this lotus napkin fold is a simple yet impressive way to enhance your table setting. Let’s get started!

Other easy to make napkin folds you might like to try include this Christmas tree napkins fold, cute bunny napkin folds, or this heart napkin fold with pouch.

Why You'll Love This Pattern

• Elegant yet easy – Looks fancy but takes just minutes to fold!
• No extra materials needed – Just a paper napkin, no glue or scissors.
• Perfect for all occasions – Christmas, Easter, weddings, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, dinner parties, and more!
• Doubles as a treat holder – Place chocolates, small candies, or a name card inside the lotus.
• Can be made in advance – Prep them ahead for a stress-free table setup.

Skill Level

★★☆☆☆ (Easy)

Materials Needed

• Standard square paper napkins.

Napkin Type: Use sturdy yet foldable paper napkins.

A medium-weight napkin (around 60-80 GSM) works best for this project, as it holds folds well but is still easy to handle. Thin napkins may lose their shape, while thicker ones may be harder to crease neatly.

You can use small, medium, or large square paper napkins to make different lotus flower sizes.

Instructions

Step 1: Open out your napkin. 

Typically, napkins come folded into quarters, so when you open out your napkin it should fold out into a larger square with 2 creases which divide the napkin into 4 smaller squares.

Start with the outside color (such as the colored side or patterned side) of the napkin facing down.

Step 2:  Fold the bottom left corner in to meet the middle point.

Step 3: Repeat previous step for the remaining corners.

Step 4: Fold the bottom point up to meet the middle point.

Step 5: Repeat previous step for remaining points.

Step 6: Once more, fold the bottom left corner in to meet the middle point. Make sure you crease well.

Step 7: Repeat previous step for remaining corners.

Step 8: Flip your paper over from left to right. Arrange the paper to sit like a diamond.

Step 9: Fold the bottom point to meet the middle point.

Step 10: Repeat previous step for remaining corners.

Step 11: Fold the bottom left corner inward slightly.

Step 12: While holding the folded corner with one hand, gently bring the flap behind it forwards to reverse it to the front.

To help bring the back flap forward, it can help to hold on either side of the folded corner and lightly push down on the paper (to curve it) while bringing the back flap to the front.

Step 13: Fold the little inner flap up.

Step 14: Repeat steps 11 to 13 for the remaining corners.

Tips For Success

• Use a sturdy paper napkin – This helps the lotus shape hold better.
• Match your napkin color to the occasion – Red for Christmas, pink for Valentine’s Day, pastel colors for Easter, or gold for weddings.
• For an extra decorative touch, place a small chocolate, truffle, or name card inside.
• Make them ahead of time.

Common Mistakes & How To Avoid Them

• Lotus isn’t holding its shape? Use a higher-quality napkin or fold sharper creases.
• Petals look uneven? Make sure each fold is symmetrical and aligned properly.

Color, Paper Ideas, and Variations

• Use white, gold, or silver napkins for weddings or formal dinners.
• Try red and green for Christmas, orange and brown for Thanksgiving, or pastels for Easter.
• Soft pink or deep red napkins make this perfect for Valentine’s Day or anniversaries.
• Personalized Place Cards: Slip a small name tag into the center of each lotus as a unique place setting.
• Sweet Treat Holder: Fill the center with wrapped chocolates, almonds, or mints for guests to enjoy.

FAQ

Other Paper Crafts You Might Like To Try:

• Paper Rose
• Cube DIY Desk Organizer
• Origami Mouse
• Heart Origami Bookmark
• Cute Origami
• Magnolia Felt Wreath
• DIY Diamond Paper Garland

Helpful Origami Tips

If you're curious to learn more about origami, you might like to look at our basic guides on how to make some common origami folds.

Start with the valley fold and mountain fold—these are the foundation of most origami models.

Once you're comfortable, you might like to try the petal fold for 3D shapes, and explore the bird base and square base for more complex designs.

The water bomb base is also great for creating inflatable or geometric models, like this inflatable origami rabbit.