When it comes to Friends, the most iconic set from the entire series is Monica and Rachel’s apartment, which plays host to the most scenes in the history of the show and many of Friends’ funniest and most emotional moments throughout the 10 seasons. Even the final scene in the history of the show was shot in Monica and Rachel’s apartment, proving how influential the set is. While the actual layout of things doesn’t change too much throughout the show, there are many hidden details that fans aren’t aware of.
Number Change
Something that many fans likely didn’t notice is the fact that the apartment actually changes numbers throughout the show. Obviously, this isn’t something brought up in a storyline on the show but was caught out by images of letters sent in.
Originally, the apartment was numbered as five, but fans quickly pointed out that it didn’t make sense for an apartment as high up as Monica’s to be numbered as small as five.
This was a smart observation from people, and, while it was only a small detail, Friends producers still made the decision to change it, bumping it up to 20 later on.
The Residents
Something that many fans might not have realized is the fact that every single member of the main group actually ends up living in Monica and Rachel’s apartment at some point in time throughout the show.
While Monica and Rachel are the people that first come to mind when it comes to this apartment, everyone has spent a period of time inside it. Chandler obviously lives there with Monica, and when the boys and girls swap apartments, which was when Joey stayed. Phoebe lived in it as Monica’s roommate in flashback scenes from before Rachel joined the group, while Ross spent time there when their grandmother lived in it so he could attend dance classes.
Vintage Poster
Everyone will recognize this vintage French poster from Monica’s apartment, with this being hung up on the wall throughout most of the series. While many might think that this serves absolutely no purpose outside of set dressing, that’s not the case.
In fact, the poster is used to cover up a hall that is in the wall in that position which is there from when the camera films the apartment from that perspective. So, whenever the other side of the apartment is being shot, the chances are that poster will actually be taken down off the wall, allowing the camera to slot in and film, which is something very few Friends fanatics know about.
The Fridge
In many different sets, appliances and things such as cookers, ovens, toilets, and fridges are simply there to appear as if they are realistic, but, in fact, do not work. They might put some lights in or smoke when needed, but they don’t really work.
However, in Friends, the fridge that is in Monica and Rachel’s apartment is a legitimate fridge, and it is one that works perfectly, which is something a lot of people aren’t actually aware of. While that doesn’t mean everything in the apartment works, as the toilet does not, for instance, but the cast did use the fridge to store drinks for them to use in-between long takes.
The Secret Closet
Throughout the vast majority of the show, fans wondered what was in the secret closet of Monica’s apartment, questioning the show so much that they eventually did an episode focused on it, as they filled it with tons of rubbish. The closet ended up proving Monica’s OCD was such a problem that everything ended up being shoved into that one room and that she hadn’t tackled that room properly.
However, the real reason as to why that closest is never shown outside of that episode is because it was used for the production crew to leave and enter the sets, which is why it wasn’t used too much on the show.
Balcony Debate
This is an interesting point about Monica and Rachel’s apartment that a lot of fans haven’t really thought about, which is in regards to her balcony. We know she has a balcony because many scenes take place on it, but, really, it shouldn’t be there.
When the apartment building is shown from the outside, there are no balconies, which brings the question as to how she actually has one. As well as that, the fire escape is in between the two apartments of the gang should be. Yet, when seen from the inside, there are two, with each apartment having one.
Drapes Addition
This might be something that very few people noticed, but Monica and Rachel’s apartment initially had no drapes around the windows, as they didn’t pop up until the second season of the show, which was a detail most fans will have missed.
The reason for them not having drapes in season one of the show is simply because of budget issues, with the show not having enough money at that time. That might seem crazy, but the Friends fandom hadn’t kicked in until afterward, which then allowed them to add some drapes.
The Window
When you think of Monica and Rachel’s apartment, the giant window in the background just automatically springs to mind, with so many brilliant moments taking place surrounding it despite the fact that the group isn’t always at that section.
Most famously, the group uses the giant window to spy on what is going on with Ugly Naked Guy, which provides a lot of fun moments, and then again when Ross moves in opposite them, which leads to more great moments. However, original plans didn’t feature a big window, as it was actually set up for normal, smaller windows.
Set Structure
While everyone just takes the apartment as it comes on television, in reality, it is a working set, and, because of that the structure of it, its very different from what people might think, and only those who attended a taping would know that.
The guest bedroom sets, for example, were actually constructed separately from the apartment, with only the entrances being created for the main set of the apartment. The stairs also followed that pattern, with only a small portion being created.
The Gold Frame
The golden frame that appears around Monica’s peephole ended up becoming an icon for Friends, with this being a classic image that is often put onto merchandise and DVDs due to how recognizable it became.
While it went on to become such a well-known part of the show, that doesn’t mean that it was intentional, as the golden frame around the peephole wasn’t actually meant to be empty on the inside.
Instead, this was actually meant to be a frame for a mirror, only one of the crew members ended up breaking it and hung it on the door temporarily, but it was quickly agreed that it looked great, and it stayed there ever since.
