Weekend Read: Paper Flowers, by Sofia Vusir Jansson
On the craft of making paper flowers.
“I strongly believe that many people would benefit from working with their hands creatively”
— Sofia Vusir Jansson.
Vusir Jansson is a Swedish artist and photographer known for her unique, somewhat dreamy, but utterly beautiful style in work for brands including Svenskt Tenn and Sandberg Wallpaper.
Ten years ago, she made her first flower out of material from her garden. “I needed a prop for a photo shoot and, at the moment, created a flower from an old branch, some dry grass, and scraps of crêpe paper”, she says. “It looked like an oversized poppy, a mix of fantasy and real, and I felt such joy in the process.”
When Vusir Jansson got a proposal from Svenskt Tenn to design paper flowers for them, she accepted, even though the assignment was to make 15,000 flowers in a limited amount of time. During the work, Vusir Jansson’s father had a stroke and passed. “The making of paper flowers started as a reinvention of the old Swedish tradition to make paper decorations for the Christmas tree”, she states. “But it turned into a grieving process for my dad. I didn’t realise at the time that I had depression. As it turned out, I sat, in total silence, by my table, letting my hands work and my brain rest. For 132 days. When the work was completed, I felt I had found healing in my hands.”
After extensive research, Vusir Jansson wrote Pappersblommor. It is an instructive, pedagogical, and joyful tale about learning about the individuality of some of our common flowers and putting that knowledge into action—let it be slow action!
“Paperwork has become a contemporary craft. People of all ages appreciate the flowers’ visuality and the materials’ tactility. I firmly believe that craft or handicraft is helpful when you need a rest from the hectic life of our time. When I use my hands to create something beautiful and inspiring, I calm down,” Vusir Jansson says. “To work with relatively simple materials and experience a beautiful flower’s growth is contemplative. And it is very rewarding; even if your flower is far from perfect, you’ve made it and found joy in the craft.”
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Written by Cia Wedin
Photographs: Linda Lomelino
Lead image: Portrait of Sofia Vusir Jansson
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Further information:
Pappersblommor (Paper Flowers) by Sofia Vusir Jansson is published by Natur & Kultur, 2024. Available in English during 2025.