Monica's grandmother left her a rent-controlled apartment, so even after she passed away, she continued to be bound by the lease and pay just $200 per month.
Although many different locations were used to film the American hit sitcom Friends, Central Perk and Monica's apartment set were well known to viewers. Monica's apartment was the gathering spot because it was the one that was used the most often for important conversations, Thanksgiving, or anything else.
Joey and Chandler's home was also utilized frequently and for various occasions in addition to her apartment. These apartments, which served as the leads' primary residences and hangout spots, made up the majority of scenes in Friends.
Monica moved into the Greenwich Village apartment before the series' events. She once shared a room with Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), but Rachel moved in during the pilot. Although Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler lived across the hall, Monica's apartment was clearly much bigger. Monica's house was one of the main set pieces throughout the entire season of Friends. Being a frequent meeting place, it developed into a significant location for numerous episodes involving the main cast of characters.
How did Monica manage to pay for such an apartment?
There was a living room area and a full kitchen in the apartment, which was a roomy, open area. It also had a balcony, a full bathroom, and two bedrooms. Many viewers questioned how Monica and Rachel could pay their rent given the apartment's size and the Manhattan location. Prior to rising to the position of head chef in later seasons, Monica worked as a chef for the majority of the show, while Rachel served as a waitress prior to working in the fashion industry. Crane and Kauffman included information about the apartment's affordability and other issues because there were so many uncertainties.
The landlord, Mr. Treeger, threatened to evict Monica and Rachel from their apartment in the Friends season 4 episode titled "The One With the Ballroom Dancing" because they had been unlawfully subletting. The fact that Monica moved in and rented out the second bedroom after her grandmother, who had been the original tenant, also revealed that the apartment was rent-controlled, which meant that even after her grandmother's passing, she was still obligated to pay the $200 monthly rent. As Monica and Chandler get ready to leave in the series finale episode, Chandler said, "Thanks to rent control, it was a friggin' steal."
The writers of Friends chose the rent-control explanation as it was the simplest way to explain how Monica and her various roommates could afford to pay their rent. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, viewers predicted that the women should have been paying about $3,000 per month for an apartment of that size in Greenwich Village. According to researchers (via CNBC), the price of a residence of that size in 2018 would have been at least $4,500 and possibly as high as $8,000, depending on the location.
Details of Monica’s Apartment: behind the scenes
Throughout the ten-season run of the popular sitcom Friends, Monica's apartment was the setting for the majority of the show's scenes. Monica and Rachel's apartment served as the backdrop for even the show's final scene, demonstrating how important the location is. However, there are some tales involving artifacts in the set itself.
The number on the door
The apartment actually changes numbers throughout the show, which many viewers probably weren't aware of. Even though this is obviously not a plot point in the show, fans quickly pointed out that it didn't make sense for an apartment as high as Monica's to be numbered as low as 5, so the apartment was quickly changed from its original number of 5 to 20. Though it was just a minor point, the producers changed it anyway.
The Poster
The old French poster which was displayed on the wall of Monica's apartment for the majority of the series will be instantly recognizable to everyone. Although some people might believe that this is only there as set dressing, that is not the case.
In fact, when the camera records the apartment from that perspective, the poster is used to conceal a hallway that is in the wall at that location. Few Friends fans are aware of the fact that whenever the other side of the apartment is being filmed, it's likely that the poster will actually be taken down from the wall to make room for the camera and film.
Appliances
Appliances and items like stoves, ovens, toilets, and refrigerators are frequently used in sets only to give the impression that they are functional when in fact they are not. When necessary, they might add some lights or smoke, but they don't really function.
But a lot of people aren't actually aware of the fact that the fridge in Monica and Rachel's apartment in Friends is a real one and that it functions flawlessly. The cast did use the refrigerator to store drinks for them to use in between long takes, though that doesn't mean everything in the apartment functions, like the toilet doesn't.
The Closet
Fans frequently questioned the show throughout the majority of its run, wondering what was in Monica's apartment's hidden closet. As a result, the producers eventually decided to focus an episode on it by stuffing it full of trash. The closet ultimately demonstrated how bad Monica's OCD was by showing how everything was crammed into that one space and how poorly she had handled it.
The closet wasn't used frequently on the show because it was used by the production crew to enter and exit the sets, which is why it was never shown outside of that episode.
Drapes
Since they didn't appear until the second season of the show, most fans are likely to have missed the fact that Monica and Rachel's apartment didn't initially have drapes around the windows.
They didn't have drapes in season one of the show for the simple reason that there weren't enough funds available at the time due to budget constraints.
Set Structure
Everyone simply accepts the apartment as it appears on television, but in reality, it is a working set, and as a result, its structure is very different from what one might anticipate. Only those who were present during a taping would be aware of this.
For instance, only the entrances were built for the main set of the apartment, while the guest bedroom sets were actually built separately from the apartment. Only a small portion of the stairs were built, also following that pattern.
Renowned Golden Frame
The golden frame that surrounds Monica's peephole ended up becoming an icon for Friends, and because of how iconic it became, it is frequently used on merchandise and DVD covers.
The peephole's golden frame wasn't actually intended to be empty on the inside, despite the fact that it later gained notoriety and became a staple of the show. It turns out that this was actually intended to be a mirror frame; only, one crew member broke it and temporarily hung it on the door, but it was quickly decided that it looked great and has remained there ever since.
FAQs
Q. How did Monica and Rachel pay for the apartment?
A. The apartment was rent-controlled and the lease was passed on to Monica, after her grandmother. Thus, they had to pay only $200 per month.
Q. Why is the Golden Frame on the peephole famous?
A. Even those who haven't watched Friends would be able to recognize the Golden Frame because it was frequently used as a Friends symbol on DVDs and other merchandise.
Q. Have all the cast members resided once in the apartment?
A. Yes; Monica, Rachel and Chandler as expected; Phoebe resided there before Rachel; Ross lived with his grandmother during his dance classes and Joey lived when they swapped apartments.
