In the first episode of Decorated, we cover the life and work of Melvin Dwork, a New York City interior designer who received an "undesirable" discharge from the U.S. Navy in 1944 for being gay. While Dwork is mostly known for his activism - he fought to overturn his discharge, and was the first to successfully do so - his work in interior design is famous in its own right for mixing old and new in an harmonious and timeless way. Join Will and Cotter as they recount his story and examine his work within the vibrant context of 1980s NYC.

This episode features music and scoring by Peter Mark Kendall. Research and editing support by Chitrakshi Chelawat and Stan Walden, with additional support from Olive Jones, Paul Rochford, Kanishka Puri and Naniyah McClain.