The result brings together Stora Enso’s material and design expertise with the patience and practical skill required to give every flower its final form.
Designing with a familiar material
The flower design was developed by Eveliina Juuri, Packaging Designer at Stora Enso. Eveliina designed poppies in two sizes, with each flower to be crafted from separate petals and center pieces arranged around a stem.Rather than forming a package, the concept turns printed sheets of Ensovelvet, Stora Enso’s flagship uncoated SBS cartonboard grade, into a three-dimensional art installation. Every part had to play its role. The petals needed the right shape and position, the layers had to fit together, and each component had to be suitable for assembly by hand. Detailed instructions guided the team through shaping the petals, arranging the layers, and securing the flowers to their stems. Bringing the design to life depended on attention to detail at every stage.
Learning the work at IirisPro
IirisPro approaches new projects by assessing the work involved, including the time, space, and skills. When the flower components arrived at its Helsinki workshop, the team divided the process into stages and allocated each stage according to the skills needed.
The first task was to release the precut components from the printed sheets. Two people began by removing and curving the petals. Once the method had been tested, another person carried out the detailed assembly of the flowers. Other participants carefully prepared the finished pieces for transport so they would arrive in pristine condition.
This was a new kind of project for IirisPro. The colorful sheets drew interest when they arrived in the workshop, with people asking what they were and whether they could take part. Katriina Lehtovaara, Unit Manager at IirisPro, shared how the employees themselves described the experience: “What made this project special was that it was quite different from our usual day-to-day work which is mostly packing and assembling. That's how the employees, who did the job, described it.” Each completed flower gave participants the opportunity to apply their skills to an unusual assignment while contributing to the installation taking shape.
A place for different strengths
Alongside completing manufacturing and assembly assignments, IirisPro offers people a workplace community and opportunities to develop practical skills. HUN describes it as a multilingual and multicultural workplace where participants can also learn about Finnish working life and strengthen the routines and experience they may need for future employment.
Annu Griñan, Senior Communications Specialist at HUN, explains why routes such as these matter: “For many people, access to working life is not straightforward. There can be different reasons why someone cannot work full-time or follow a traditional career path. That should not mean that their skills, motivation or potential are overlooked. IirisPro can be an important stepping stone into working life, but its value goes far beyond employment. It can help people build confidence, recognise their own skills and capabilities, and discover what they can contribute.”
The poppy installation required several distinct contributions. Lehtovaara’s account reveals the combination of precision and artistic judgement involved: “This task demanded handicraft skills and very special carefulness in handling all the small and delicate parts of the flowers. It also demanded creativity and a good eye in carving the petals just the right way and assembling the flowers beautiful and blossoming.” Rather than treating the project as one uniform task, IirisPro matched its individual stages with the people able to carry them out.
Turning that principle into wider practice requires action beyond IirisPro. Griñan continues: “Employers have a crucial role to play in this. By being willing to create different kinds of employment pathways and to shape work around individual capabilities, they can open doors for people who might otherwise remain outside the labor market.”
The installation gives that wider perspective a visible form. “I would like visitors to see beyond the beautiful flowers and understand the people behind them, and, most importantly, the potential that each of us has when we are given the right opportunity,” said Griñan.
Created through collaboration
At Luxe Pack Monaco, the individual flowers come together as one installation. Behind them is a sequence of contributions, beginning with an idea and continuing through material knowledge, design, shaping, assembly, and careful preparation.
For Stora Enso, the project gives physical form to something central to our work: a material can offer new creative possibilities when it is supported by the expertise to design with it and by skilled people who can bring that design to life.
The installation is the visible result. Its fuller story belongs to the people and organizations who created it together.
Your next packaging idea could begin somewhere unexpected. Visit our flower installation at booth #DF10 and see cartonboard from a new perspective. Join us at Luxe Pack Monaco, at the Grimaldi Forum, from 28 to 30 September 2026.
