The beloved sitcom epitomized the ’90s era, but Monica and Joey’s New York City apartments would look very different if the show was set in today’s day and age.
To mark the 14th anniversary of the Friends series finale, Modsy, a virtual interior design startup, reimagined the iconic apartments of the show’s characters according to how they believed they’d appear today.
“Modsy chose to re-imagine the Friends apartment as it is a space that many people have an attachment to, similar to that of their own homes,” says Alessandra Wood from Modsy.
“Every Friends fan has memories of that couch and that kitchen table… it is almost as if we lived there too.”
Monica’s apartment
Let’s imagine that Monica and Chandler stayed in their Greenwich Village digs to raise their twins instead of moving to Westchester. What would their place have looked like in 2018?
Though the iconic purple walls no doubt symbolized ‘home’ for the couple (and the entire gang), Alessandra explains that this would have been the first to go in a modern makeover.
Monica’s purple walls would be the first to go in 2018. Picture: Getty
“Removing the purple walls was one of the most noticeable changes we made to the apartment.
“With the neutral palette trends of 2018, we made the decision to tone down Monica’s purple wall as it just wouldn’t make sense today.
“However, we know that Monica is a sentimental one and wouldn’t be able to get rid of all the purple, so we left the door in its original shade and paid our respects in the deep purple accent wall.”
The purple door prevails!
The kitchen would also have undergone quite a dramatic revamp, with the countless trinkets and cupboard curtains removed to make way for a more modern and tech-forward aesthetic.
“Chef Monica would be staying on top of the latest kitchen trends and technology.
“We decided to replace the iconic blue cabinets with darker tones to give the space a polished adult upgrade worthy of entertaining, a perfect space for the gang to reunite today,” Alessandra says.
The kitchen would see a modern revamp.
Moving further into the space, we can see that Monica and Chandler may have enjoyed seeking out more cohesive furniture to replace the eclectic mix left behind by her grandmother.
“There’s no debate that Monica was drawn to an eclectic mix of furnishings on the show that created a funky yet comfortable space in her apartment,” says Alessandra.
Fast forward to 2018, and Modsy believes that she would have “began to invest in her own furniture – her personality would draw her towards more transitional, neat, and tidy styling”.
A neat and tidy kitchen even Chandler could keep clean.
Joey’s apartment
We hope that 14 years wouldn’t change the Joey we came to know and love, but an apartment update is certainly welcomed.
While we had a certain fondness for the somewhat scarce and retro look he gravitated towards, the flat didn’t exactly scream ‘cosy’. Maybe this is why the gang always opted to spend time across the hall?
If Joey had maintained the flat next door, Modsy believes he would have adopted a “atomic industrial” style that would have completely transformed the home into a bachelor pad worthy of its own GQ profile.
We spot a few familiar items!
“A style that mixes mid-century pieces with industrial accents, Joey’s place is full of wood, metals and leathers.”
Ever the nostalgic type, it’s a no-brainer that Joey would have had a hard time decluttering during the makeover.
“Pieces like his foosball table, dart board, and Hugsy are all part of the apartment’s new look.
“Always the sentimental one, Joey also kept Dr. Drake Ramoray’s magazine cover and, of course, Pat the dog!”
Joey’s modern-day digs are stylish yet still relaxed.
All images courtesy of Modsy.
Originally published as The ‘Friends’ apartments reimagined for 2018 by Katie Skelly. Author at realestate.com.au.
