In the heart of Stockholm you can find the home of Nathalie, visual creative, and musician John Engelbert — one half of Johnossi. In the building there’s a studio that sets the tone for everyday life. It’s where riffs turn into songs, where late nights blur into early mornings, and where ideas move as freely as the music — now grounded by a bold woven floor from House of Bolon. Nathalie’s world revolves around visuals, detail, and instinct. She moves between art, design, and identity with the same ease that defines her style — sharp, effortless, and always her own. Her touch runs through the space: nothing random, nothing overdone. Just a perfectly tuned mix of personality and precision.
Together they’ve built a place where rhythm meets stillness — a home for music, design, and everything in between. A place filled with character — and now, with a floor that can handle every beat.

Which one of you has the better eye for detail, and who’s more “let’s just go for it”?
John: I’m more impulsive. I move fast and instantly know what doesn’t feel right. Nathalie is more careful, but when she acts, it’s usually all in. It makes for a good contrast.

What inspires you most when decorating: travel, fashion, art, or just instinct?
Nathalie: Instinct leads. Travel, art and fashion add inspiration, but we only bring in what truly speaks to us. We don’t follow trends at all.

What does ‘home’ mean to you today, and has that changed over the years?
Nathalie: Home is where the heart lands. We love our home more than ever. It’s the place where life happens and where people somehow always end up. It’s a good sign. No bad vibes here.

What’s the room you spend the most time in, and why? 
John: The bedroom of course, do the math. Apart from that, the kitchen and the living room always win. Hang out in the kitchen, party in the living room.

If your home had its own soundtrack, what would it sound like?
Nathalie: Somewhere between Rage Against the Machine, Bowie, Portishead and a bit of Michael Jackson — basically 90s MTV when music videos were everything.

You started Johnossi after only a few gigs and released your debut album soon after. Looking back, what gave you that confidence early on?
John: I don’t think we ever saw it as confidence. We just didn’t overthink anything; we just did it. Pretty much right away we realised we had something very special and unique. It almost felt like we had to do it, like it was meant to be. We didn’t wait for permission from anyone. But of course, we were still extremely nervous and terrified during those first handful of gigs. I remember I used to puke before every show in the beginning.

Does creativity flow differently for you when you’re at home versus in the studio? 
John: Ideas can come from nowhere, anytime, but being creative to me is mostly about putting down the hours and grinding every day until you get there. I work best against deadlines though; stress can actually be good for creativity, it forces you to move on. I try not to be too hard on myself either. If everything sucks, I just do something else. Sometimes I go months without writing, I need that too. In the end, it’s only music, not a big deal.

Do you have any good stories or memories from your home studio?
John: Well, we do tend to end up in the studio for afterparties. Since it’s soundproof, you can go on forever playing loud. There are no windows, so it’s easy to shut out the outside world. Time tends to fly by faster in there. There have been some fantastic late nights... and early mornings too, for that matter :)

Nathalie, tell us a bit more about what you do.
Nathalie: I’m a visual creative working across art, design and identity. I’ve also worked in the music industry on the artist side, essentially holding things together and moving things forward. My work takes on different forms depending on the project, from building visual worlds and products to collaborations within culture and music.

You are two creative souls, what do you have in common and what is the biggest difference between how you work?
Nathalie: We’re both self-employed, which is a blessing — being able to decide over your own time. It’s hard to pinpoint what we truly have in common, but I guess after so many years together you develop a kind of shared intuition. We’re very much yin and yang though. I move in quickly and then go deep; John moves slower, but once he’s in, he goes deep and stays there.

What kind of atmosphere do you want to create at home?
Nathalie: We want our home to feel warm and easy to be in, a place people love to come to. You’re always welcome… just call first...

Is there a “house rule” that always gets broken?
Nathalie: Yes, the “we’ll eat at the table tonight” rule. The sofa wins more often than we admit.

What’s always on your rider?
John: The rider has been really trimmed down and perfected through the years. We’ve taken away all the candy, snacks and unnecessary food items. You get tired of the same stuff every day anyway, so now it’s pretty much just essentials like champagne, lots of champagne, white and red wine, lots of beer, ice, cold sparkling water, some nuts like cashews, an extreme amount of towels in different sizes, and socks — we change socks all the time; you don’t want to bring smelly socks on the tour bus, they’re basically disposable.

Do you have any artists whose design aesthetic you admire?
John: Of course, I don’t even know where to start. If I like the music, I usually like the aesthetics too. It tends to go hand in hand — good taste I mean. Tool’s whole visual universe is just insane. Interpol have that timeless, minimal cool. Sparks — pure art and humour in perfect balance. Nine Inch Nails always nails it live. And Aphex Twin live is one of the sickest, most amazing things I’ve ever experienced, like being trapped inside a microchip. Nathalie: I grew up with Bowie, Talking Heads and Bryan Ferry. They built visual identities I still deeply admire. Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana and Pearl Jam did too, just through attitude, culture and a generational shift. I’m a grunge girl at heart. Different worlds, same impact.

When does inspiration usually strike?
John: I don’t know, to be honest. I don’t think in terms of being inspired. Melodies pop up in my head on a daily basis. Most of it is just worthless gibberish, but sometimes something good strikes you. Then you’ve got to seize the moment and record it quickly before it’s gone. Many great melodies have gone missing because I was half asleep when they came and too lazy to record, thinking I’d remember when I woke up, which I never do. Nathalie: When I stop thinking about it. Inspiration seems to appear uninvited.

Is there an object or detail in your studio that inspires you every time you walk in?
John: The whole place is inspiring. Seeing all the guitars and synths makes me feel like a fat kid in a candy shop every day. It’s my precious dungeon where nobody can bother me. The fact that it’s soundproof, and that I can make as much noise as I want without disturbing the neighbours, is absolutely crucial. And now that I also have this awesome floor, I never want to leave :)

Thank you John and Nathalie!