The apartment with the purple walls and the gang of our favourite six new-yorkers returned to our television screens. The F.R.I.E.N.D.S Reunion of our dreams – “The one where they all get back together,” happened in reality. It’s been more than 16 years since the show last aired but the scenes and episodes shot in the iconic apartment are still as fresh as dewdrops in everyone’s memories.
The wait is over, after more than a decade and a half, the cameras rolled again, and with the signature theme music playing in the background the gang of six new yorkers of the most successful TV shows of all time – F.R.I.E.N.D.S. returned to our television screens. The day was special for fans from all over the world (including yours truly) who have patiently waited to watch this much-awaited reunion all these years. The long-overdue episode “The one where they all get back together” gave us some good laughs and teary-eyed moments. It was no less than an emotional roller coaster watching our favourite characters squeeze back into that Central Perk couch reminiscing memories of the show. The cast also re-created some iconic moments inside Monica’s apartment which has been the witness to different shades of the characters’ platonic friendships.
Let’s relive the memories and take a look inside the apartment we are all F.R.I.E.N.D.S with.
Monica’s Apartment in Friends – The One Where It All Began and Continued
Monica’s apartment, popularly known as Friends apartment, is shown to be located in a tan brick building in New York, which is supposedly at 90 Bedford Street, West Village in New York. The apartment comprises an open living space, kitchen, and two bedrooms.
How is Monica’s Apartment Rent Controlled in the Show? Monica inherited the apartment from her grandmother who had it at a rent-controlled lease long before New York’s Real Estate Prices spiked. A similar apartment today in the area would easily cost around upwards $5,000 a month.
Monica’s Apartment in Friends – The One with the Living Room
Painted in bright shades of purple and blue, the living room has wooden flooring and quaint looking furniture. The television area is adorned with a vintage French poster advertising a rocking horse.
Image Source: Gary Null | NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
As most of the furnishings of the living room belong to Monica and Ross’s grandmother, the space looks slightly chaotic but still full of life. The couch and the coffee table are placed right where they needed to be- in front of the television- just to ensure Monica never have a panic attack.
The One with the Purple Door and Gold Frame
A golden frame surrounds the peephole of the purple door. The frame is considered an icon of F.R.I.E.N.D.S
Trivia: The gold frame was originally a mirror and was accidentally broken by one of the crew members. Initially, it was hung temporarily on the door and later ended up becoming an icon of the show.
Kitchen Area – The One with the Open Shelving
Image Source: Fancy Pants Homes
Image Source: housebeautiful.com
As you enter the apartment you are greeted by a large open space of the living room and a lively, cute, and colorful kitchen area. The kitchen has well-organized blue furniture, kitchen tools on open shelves, and appliances just the way Monica likes it. The fridge adorned with snazzy magnets takes care of Joey’s big and bigger hunger pangs.
Bedrooms in Monica’s Apartment – The One That Has It All
The apartment has two bedrooms; one belongs to Monica and the second one has been Rachel’s room for the longest time which later turned into a guest room in the series. Monica’s bedroom has it all- from a flower poster of the 1980s Summer Olympic to a little survival kit sneaked in by Joey (in cases of emergency).
Image Source: Fancy Pants Homes
The Secret Door in Monica’s Apartment – The One with the Messy Closet
The door next to the bathroom in the Living Space had once made Chandler curious about what’s behind. He eventually figured out a way to open it and came across a whole mess of stuff kept-inside by Monica. So, in her attempt to keep everything spick and span Monica had been stuffing everything inside the secret door all this while.
Image Source: Fancy Pants Homes
We know, how you feel nostalgic reminiscing the memories of the iconic F.R.I.E.N.D.S. apartment. Well, sadly the apartment does not exist in real life. It was a set created in Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank California using three walls only. However, you can track down some real-life locations where the exterior shots of the show were taken.
If you happen to be in New York, take a walk down the Grove and Bedford Streets in the Greenwich Village, you can see exactly the same building as there in the show retained in its original glory.
Image Source: The New Yorker
Given the popularity of the show and the skyrocketing prices of real estate in New York, any apartment in the ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S’ building now goes for a monthly rent of approx $3495. So what, if you can’t afford an apartment in the building, you can still take interiors’ inspiration from Monica’s apartment and create your own place. After all, the wonderful memories of Monica’s apartment would always be there for you!
