To the exasperation of Kore and Eirik’s new neighbours, fixing the peeling exterior has been put on hold until spring, but on the inside, the house is already unrecognisable. A number of walls have been knocked down, turning the six normal-sized bedrooms upstairs into half as many of twice the size, each with its own opulent en-suite bathroom. On the ground floor, the result of the demolition is an open-floor plan with enough space to make the black grand piano in one corner look no bigger than a fly speck.

And just as their hosts look like they’re from different planets, so the décor on the two floors differ so markedly it’s hard to believe the same two people live on both. The bedrooms upstairs bear the mark of Eirik’s conventional tastes, while Kore has gone all out on the ground floor with a clear nod to industrial design. Instead of plaster and wallpaper, the walls have been stripped to reveal the red brick underneath and the steel beams that had to be installed when Kore insisted on knocking down a loadbearing wall have been turned into permanent design features. A stainless-steel butcher’s bench has been pressed into service as a kitchen island, the dining table is a one-hundred-square-foot behemoth made of thick oak boards and the twelve chairs surrounding it are cast iron, but surprisingly comfortable thanks to large white and grey sheepskins.

‘The first half of the evening is mine,’ Eirik had told them when they were first invited. ‘Then Kore will take over and I’m not responsible for what happens after that.’

That’s how they make it work, Karen thinks as she sits down on one of the sheepskins and studies the table décor. Instead of compromising, her two friends make sure they both get what they want. This part is Eirik’s traditional New Year’s soirée with folded napkins and a passed-down damask tablecloth to hide the rustic oak boards. An artful arrangement of white lilies and roses, which probably took hours to perfect, even for a trained florist like him, runs the length of the table.

Seated around the table are the usual suspects: Marie, Harald, Stella, Duncan, Aylin, Bo, Gordon and Brynn. The mandated dress code is lounge suit but Karen suspects a few of the men will be undoing their ties the minute dinner is over.

He looks stressed, Karen observes, studying Eirik’s rosy cheeks as the first course is served and he raises his glass in a welcome toast.

‘This is the first of many parties we will be throwing in this house and we wanted to start by inviting our closest friends,’ he says.

‘Unfortunately, none of them could make it, so we had to make do with you lot instead,’ Kore adds.

Looking mildly annoyed, Eirik grudgingly joins in the laughter and the dinner commences.