Sandra Juto and Johan Pergenius met while attending art school in Gothen-burg, Sweden, and moved to Berlin in

2010. The couple is perhaps best–known for the uncommon poetry with which they conduct their days. Moments from their lives are captured on Sandra’s popular blog.

Their corner flat sits on a high floor in an old building at a busy intersection; beyond the open windows, the traffic blurs into a sound like the sea. As we speak, rain pelts the lone tree in the courtyard. We settle into our armchairs and swap stories about drivers’ licenses and saxophones. Before long, the sky opens and the immense living room is flooded with light.

When they’re not preparing feasts for their friends or exploring Berlin’s streets, the couple works in the fields of illustration,

craft, and graphic design. We wander through Sandra’s airy studio, where her work table is littered with wooden shapes that she will turn into fantastical beasts. They will be used for a three-dimensional wall installation at a kindergarten in the north of Sweden. Elsewhere, balls of yarn mark the beginnings of the crocheted wrist warmers Sandra makes each year, which she has whimsically named wrist worms.

In the kitchen, Johan unpacks his bounty from the market. Platters are heaped with cheeses and black cherries. He minces strawberries and red chillis; the sound of frying halloumi fills the air. Sandra pours sparkling water into a pitcher stuffed with fresh blueberries and handfuls of mint. We finish our conversa-tion over lunch.

Left Page: Sandra and Johan’s apartment in Berlin

toP Left Image:Sandra and Johan are having interview with us

toP Left Image:Interesting portrait of Sandra and Johan on their bedroom door

Bottom Image:Some works from Sandra on the wall of living room

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SandraApartment

Johan’s&

Clike to See Sandra Juto’s Portfolio

in Berlin

SJ: The online photos of the apartment looked so terrible (in an intriguing way) that we had to come see it to compare it to the other, more polished, places we had looked at.JP: When we showed up for the viewing, the rental agent said we were brave to come see it. He was sitting in his car outside because he was so sure that no one would come.SJ: When we stepped inside we looked at each other and we couldn’t ignore the fact that we both had fallen in love with the place. The condition of the apartment was more or less a disaster. The previous tenant lived here for 40 years before she died and seemed to like chain-smoking more than cleaning. SJ: When I was a child, I didn’t realize

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Q: This place has the air of somewhere special. Tell us how you came to live here.

Left Page: Working space of Sandra and Johan, there are two for each of them and one for sharingtoP Left Image: Sandra and Johan’s working spaceBottom Image: Sandra’s table for illustration

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Clike to See Johan Pergenius’s Portfolio

JP: Exploring the city, often by foot.SJ: We both love walking along Karl-Marx-Allee; the street changes its appearance when the seasons change in the most beautiful way.JP: One day we crossed the river to Kreuzberg. We walked through Kreuz berg to Neukölln down Her mannstraße, and just kept walking and walking. Finally there was a field and a sign that read “Berlin” with a cross through it, showing us we had left the city. That was actually the first time we went outside of Berlin since we moved here.SJ: That was a great walk. We walked the whole day.

that being an illustrator could be a job. My mother was creative – she made wonderful curtains for our kitchen, funny, quirky curtains – but that was just who she was. There was no special word for creativity and it was never seen as a career. My father didn’t let me study art so as a form of rebellion, I decided to study seven languages instead. Later on I stopped listening to other people and made my own way towards working the way I wanted to.JP: I was always encouraged to do art, and supported in it. Art was the thing I could do my own way and lose myself in.SJ: We met studying design at School of Design and Crafts in Gothenburg, Sweden.

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Q: What do you do when you’re not at home?

Q: How did you choose to do the work you do?

toP Image of Left Page: Somethings on the chester in the bedroomBottom Image of Left Page: Sandra and Johan’s bedroomtoP Image: Couch with the blanket design by Sandra

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I love the part of their interview where they went into a bit of the emotional process involved in finding their apartment. I’ll quote Sandra and Johan directly from FvonF . Sandra explained, “The online photos of the apartment looked so terrible (in an intriguing way) that we had to come see it to compare it to the other, more polished, places we had looked at. The condition of the apartment was more or less a disaster. The previous tenant lived here for 40 years before she died and seemed to like chain-smoking more than cleaning.” And I couldn’t help but laugh at how Johan described the first viewing, “When we showed up for the viewing, the real estate agent said we were brave to come see it. He was sitting in his car outside because he was so sure that no one would come.” What a good example of how one has to believe in something for themselves –who cares what others think–even when it comes to home selection.

Q: How is life in Berlin different from life in Sweden?

JP: Ten times the population means there’s at least a ten time larger selection in terms of food, culture and the way you interact with others.SJ: I love the constant changes with new places opening, people coming and going. The rhythm of the city gives me the energy I need to be less restless. It’s like if there’s so much going on around me, I can stay home more often and feel good about it just knowing that I have the choice to go out for new impressions and experiences.

toP Image of Left Page: Working space

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Text & Interview: Sylee GorePhotography: Philipp Langenheim

Bottom Left Image of Left Page: Fireplace in the bedroom

Bottom rIght Image of Left Page: Books of shelf in the living room

toP Image of Left Page:Balcony doorBottom Image of Left Page:Chester beside bed

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