There’s actually a reason Monica’s apartment in Friends is purple

It has to be one of the most iconic backdrops in TV history.

Anyone who's spent a hungover Sunday in front of Comedy Central for six hours straight (no judgement here) will likely take a sort of familiar comfort in the sight of Monica's apartment on Friends. It feels like we know it as well as the rooms in our own homes and now the man who put it together has revealed a few secrets about it. Production designer John Schaffner has built sets for shows including Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. When tasked with designing the room that was going to be central in a brand new sitcom about a group of twenty-somethings living in New York City, he wanted a colour that would stand out for the walls.

"Colour is really important in establishing the show identity,” he told Great Big Story.

The colour set a lighthearted tone for the show and stood out for viewers flicking by.

"When you switch to Friends, you see that it is purple and you stay tuned."

He also revealed that the reason the door of the Central Perk is on a diagonal is so that when Rachel bursts through it in her wedding dress in the very first episode, everyone in the room has to turn to look, amping up the drama. Check out the full video below.