There is a particular pleasure in a paper box whose lid is not an afterthought — no second sheet, no glue, just the same square folding around itself until the top closes. This one is tall and straight-sided, with a quiet lattice pattern around the sides that comes for free from the grid underneath.

The grid is the whole trick. You spend the first seven steps creasing an 8×8 matrix, and it feels like busywork right up until the moment the model starts to rise off the table and you realise every crease you made was exactly where it needed to be. Be accurate there and the remaining twenty steps almost fold themselves.

This page folds a closed tall origami box, built on an 8×8 matrix base. The finished box has a lid that closes over it and a simple pattern running around the sides — and there is no special folding technique involved.

Before starting, make sure you know what a valley fold and a mountain fold are. Those two are all you need, and with them this box will give you no trouble.

Almost any paper will do, although it is easier if the front and back differ slightly in texture or colour so you can tell them apart. Make sure your paper is a true square: all sides equal, all corners 90 degrees. I have used a 15 cm × 15 cm square here.

This is the front side of the square.

This is the back side of the square.

STEP 1. Start with the back side of the paper facing up. Get ready to mountain-fold it in half horizontally, then unfold.

STEP 2. Mountain-fold in half horizontally and unfold again. Get ready to mountain-fold in half vertically, then unfold.

STEP 3. Mountain-fold in half vertically and unfold. Get ready to make a horizontal gate fold and then unfold it.

STEP 4. Make the horizontal gate fold of step 3 and unfold it. Get ready to make a vertical gate fold and then unfold it.

STEP 5. Make the vertical gate fold of step 4 and unfold it. Get ready to make four horizontal valley folds and then unfold them.

STEP 6. Make the four horizontal valley folds of step 5 and unfold them. Get ready to make four vertical valley folds and then unfold them.

STEP 7. Make the four vertical valley folds of step 6 and unfold them. You have now completed the 8×8 matrix base. Get ready to turn the paper over.

STEP 8. Turn the paper over. Get ready to make four valley folds and then unfold them.

STEP 9. Make the four valley folds and unfold them. Get ready to make twelve mountain folds.

STEP 10. Make the twelve mountain folds of step 9. Get ready to rotate the model 45 degrees.

STEP 11. Rotate the model 45 degrees. Get ready to rotate it another 45 degrees.

STEP 12. Rotate the model another 45 degrees. Get ready to make a valley fold.

STEP 13. Make the valley fold of step 12. Get ready to make another valley fold.

STEP 14. Make another valley fold of step 13. Get ready for one more valley fold.

STEP 15. Make the valley fold of step 14. Get ready to make a mountain fold.

STEP 16. Make the mountain fold of step 15. Get ready to rotate the model 90 degrees.

STEP 17. Rotate the model 90 degrees. Get ready to repeat steps 12 to 17 for the first time.

STEP 18. Repeat steps 12 to 17 for the first time. Get ready to repeat them a second time.

STEP 19. Repeat steps 12 to 17 for the second time. Get ready to repeat them a third time.

STEP 20. Repeat steps 12 to 17 for the third time. Get ready to rotate the model 90 degrees.

STEP 21. Rotate the model 90 degrees. Get ready to fold the lower triangular flap down.

STEP 22. Fold the lower triangular flap down. Get ready to fold the right triangular flap down.

STEP 23. Fold the right triangular flap down. Get ready to fold the upper triangular flap down.

STEP 24. Fold the upper triangular flap down. Get ready to fold the left triangular flap.

STEP 25. Fold the left triangular flap. Get ready to bend it.

STEP 26. Bend the left triangular flap. Get ready to insert it.

STEP 27. Insert the left triangular flap. Once it is tucked in, the top of the box is closed.

STEP 28. This is the side view of the box.

STEP 29. Congratulations — you have just completed the closed tall origami box II!