Staying with Pål in his apartment is as authentic an airbnb experience is going to get.
We both ended up spending much more time at home than we could have imagined beforehand. This all had to do with the corona shit hitting the fan in Norway on the 14th day of my 33-day stay. Over the remaining 17 days, we were both at home almost every day all day. Yet, we managed to not drive each other crazy. Pål is easy going and I guess so am I. Moreover, his apartment is large enough to not get in each other's ways. He cleared up some space for me in the dining room so that I could work undisturbed.
Pål's apartment is equiped with anything that you may need and much more. There are enough movies to keep you entertained for months and enough books to keep you reading a lifetime (I guess more than a thousand volumes on philosophy, politics, and economics alone). This also means that this apartment is not the tidiest.
Pål is polite, chatty, and very welcoming. Upon my arrival, he made a point of saying that he found it important that I felt at home. It quickly became clear that he meant what he said: Whenever he was able to help me, he did. This included smaller things like giving me a band Aid for my blisters, but also driving me and my 50kg luggage to my next destination in Oslo, and sharing a beer with me on my quaraintine birthday. All in all, he did much more than can be expected from a host. And the effect of this was that I, indeed, felt welcome. If you are looking for a homely stay with genuinely friendly host, this is probably your best pick.