Anastasia Masaro On Creating a Paradise for Hawk & Tim’s Romance for ‘Fellow Travelers’

For some people, our homes and privates space act like a fortress. Letting people in can be difficult, but seeing a person’s bedroom can be an intimate experience. For the characters of Ron Nyswaner’s Fellow Travelers, letting someone in and allowing them to see who you truly are can be a life of death situation. Production designer Anastasia Masaro’s work transports us back in time to when queer people were forced to live in the shadows.

When I looked at Masaro’s Instagram, I was thrilled to see that some of her work on Travelers–namely the penultimate episode, ‘White Nights’) was inspired by the specific artwork of Tom Bianchi. That Fire Island episode is a treasure trove of design from the wallpaper in the bathroom to the dark wood throughout the living room space. I love the staircase near the front door. This is a space specific to one particular episode, and I couldn’t help but think of how an interior decorator in that time would want to design a queer paradise.

When Tim is invited to Hawk’s apartment in Washington D.C., he sees that Hawk’s digs reflect who he is. At this point of his life, he would have the means to decorate his living space how he truly wants. His leather furniture belongs to a bachelor, but it’s never cheesy–it’s sophisticated. The grey paint on the walls only enhance the gold sconces. Tim’s studio apartment, by contrast, is humble with low lighting and floral wallpaper. His entire world exists in one room, and it matches his initial idealism.

Tim’s San Francisco apartment might be my favorite. I would love to sit in his large bay window and watch people on the street, and the huge fan over the couch would be the envy of anyone at a drag show. Everything in that space feels like it has a story and history. There are hues of yellow in the humble kitchen.

We can spot when a production design doesn’t feel deep enough, but Masaro’s work is curated with warmth and character. Everything feels like it’s where it should be.

Fellow Travelers is streaming now on Paramount+.