Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/974985
T H E A S S A S S I N A T I O N O F G I A N N I V E R S A C E | P E R S P E C T I V E 5 9 Pink pops up again in the plush modernist seating in the house of Andrew's much older lover, Norman Blachford. His beach palazzo is all wall- to-wall carpeting and Steve Chase pieces. This set, with Malibu serving as La Jolla, is emblematic of the "middle zone" environments we created in between the extremes of Andrew and Gianni. Like the Berkeley couple's space, these interiors are presentational—a reflection of how the owner wants to be seen, but not how he lives when no one's looking. Naturally, I prefer the latter. Designers savor character details, wordlessly signified, like a pair of socks tossed on a carpet or a bottle of pills on a counter. In my research, I always favor documentary photography from the era, instead of other entertainment projects. And I consistently find that from the upper middle class to the very wealthy, the photos are scrubbed of any objects that reflect personality—in fact, they're often styled with props that come and go with the photography crew. Residences and workplaces of folks with fewer advantages are more truth- telling, strewn unwittingly with evidence of good behavior, a bible beside the bed, and bad, the empties stacked up on the windowsill. E. DAVID MADSEN'S LOFT, BUILT ON STAGE 10 AT FOX, WITH A FAUX POLISHED CONCRETE FLOOR, BRICK WALLS AND SALVAGED LOFT WINDOWS. PHOTO COURTESY OF FX. E