I’m more “uptight”, as she says, and Mara is very relaxed. But I didn’t think she’d be so resistant to my input in the flat. Neither did I imagine I’d be eating pasta with friends using three different types of fork, one of which looks as if it’s survived a war. I’m not saying everything has to be minimalist, but matching crockery does make a space feel more grownup. Mara says I’m trying to be posh, but it’s just about cohesion. Sometimes, I think the ramshackle artist thing is an attempt to look less well off because it’s trendy.