The Best Napkin Holders for Keeping Those Napkins Tidy!

With many of us still preferring the convenience of paper napkins, this means that a napkin holder is still an essential in our homes. Able to keep paper napkins accessible and tidy, the napkin holder is also easy to move around the home and even out into the garden for those summer grills.

Things to Consider Before Buying A Napkin Holder

A napkin holder is any item used to hold napkins and a napkin holder is the easiest way to keep napkins tidy, to hand and away from any table spills.

Most napkin holders fit into two design categories. The first type of holder is one which uses the outward pressure from the napkins to hold them between two surfaces. This type of holder is usually symmetrical and of the type otherwise known as a vertical, or upright, napkin holder. A vertical holder is useful if you have limited space as they do not need as much countertop or tabletop space as a horizontal napkin holder.

The second style of holder is one that has walls all around it and holds napkins flat – a typical horizontal holder - and the base of this will usually be sized for standard napkins, typically lunch napkins.

Horizontal napkins holders often have a weighted base and have a weight or an arm to hold the napkins in place and make it easier to take one napkin at a time. This type of design is also good for outdoor dining as napkins are less likely to blow away on windy days.

The typical napkin dispensers seen in diners are also classed as napkin holders, but a napkin dispenser is usually always a metal case that allows to you to take just one napkin at a time from the front or top of the dispenser.

Cloth napkins have been around since Roman and Greek times and napkin holders and napkin rings made from wrought iron were commonly found in the nineteenth century. Napkin rings became popular in the early 1800s as a way for wealthy French families to show off their wealth by using silver, bone, porcelain and even pearl decorated napkin rings at the dining table.

The historical napkin holder was also a small device that was designed to hold a cloth napkin in a button hole or top of a necktie knot. Often made from silver these types of napkin holders were in use in at least Edwardian times.

When the Scott Paper Company invented and began to manufacture paper napkins from 1930 onwards, the popularity of the napkin holder began to increase along with the demand for the paper napkins.

By the 1950s and alongside the increased use of materials such as plastics, the napkin holder was a budget friendly and key accessory for homes. This demand for the maintenance-free paper napkins which were also cost-effective (due to the low costs of producing paper) had also contributed to the decline in use of traditional cloth napkins.

The introduction of paper napkins by leading designers also contributed to the rising popularity of paper napkins, and although many households chose to use paper napkins for everyday dining, they would still use cloth napkins for formal meals.

When choosing a napkin holder, you should not just consider its function, but also its form. There are many different styles of napkin holders and look for one which will suit the design of the space in which you want to place the holder.

Many napkin holders are made from metal, usually steel, for durability, but may also be made from cast iron for a more traditional style. Today’s napkin holders can also be molded from plastics or made from wood and their style can be traditional, contemporary or anything in between.

Napkin holders are also ideal for other roles in the home. They can be used as mail or document racks, as a holder for scrap paper, as racks for saucepan lids, or even in the kitchen cabinet for storing packets of seasonings in!

Sizing of Paper Napkins

When selecting a new napkin holder, you will always need to consider napkin size. If you just use one size in your home, then you can look for a napkin holder that just takes this size but if you do like to have different sizes to hand, then you will need a holder that is more flexible on napkin sizes.

There is some variation between the sizes of cloth and paper napkins. For economy, and because they are only single use, paper napkins are usually smaller than cloth napkins. Typically, there are three sizes of paper napkin available; beverage, luncheon and dinner.

A beverage or cocktail napkin is usually around 5" square when folded and a standard lunch paper napkin is a 13" napkin folded into a 6¾" square. Lunch napkins tend to be one of the most popular sizes and usually available in varying thicknesses of 1, 2 or 3 ply.

Dinner napkins are larger than lunch napkins, usually around 16" to 18" unfolded or around 8½" when folded square. Guest towels also fit into this category of paper napkin.

Napkin Etiquette

Although the basic job of any napkin – paper or cloth – is to blot your mouth and wipe your fingers, there are still a few ‘do’s and don’ts’ when using a napkin!

You should only unfold and place your napkin on your lap after your host has placed theirs. If you need to leave the table at any point during the meal, then your napkin should be placed on your chair after you have got up.

After you have finished your meal, then your napkin should be loosely folded and placed to the left side of your plate. If your plate has been cleared, you can instead pop it in the center of your place setting.

Conclusion

In this article we have taken a look at the advantages of the two main types of napkin holder – vertical and horizontal - as well as what you should consider when selecting a new napkin holder for your home. We also offered some guidance around sizing of paper napkins and some of the basic etiquette, or ‘do’s and don’ts’ of using napkins.