--- title: Friends: The Real Reason Monica's Apartment Is Purple description: After 10 seasons of Friends, it was probably difficult for most fans to picture Monica's apartment painted any other color than purple. canonical: https://time.com/5209157/friends-monica-purple-apartment-reason/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-21T17:02:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T09:03:33.955Z og:title: The Real Reason Monica's Apartment Was Purple on Friends og:description: The color choice wasn't always set in stone og:url: https://time.com/5209157/friends-monica-purple-apartment-reason/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d1162918f8de109/69892b8aab6d7740a86b22b4/friends-apartment.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Friends - Season 1 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Real Reason Monica's Apartment Was Purple on Friends twitter:description: The color choice wasn't always set in stone twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d1162918f8de109/69892b8aab6d7740a86b22b4/friends-apartment.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Real Reason Monica's Apartment Was Purple on _Friends_ > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8bf592d1-8ed7-476e-8f06-2b2e54430a3f&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8bf592d1-8ed7-476e-8f06-2b2e54430a3f&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=8bf592d1-8ed7-476e-8f06-2b2e54430a3f&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8bf592d1-8ed7-476e-8f06-2b2e54430a3f&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: How Much Money Did Each Character on Friends Spend on Coffee [Watch (HLS stream): How Much Money Did Each Character on Friends Spend on Coffee](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/5kcbriTH.m3u8) (1:24)  _Published 2018-01-18. How Much Money Did Each Character on Friends Spend on Coffee_  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Mar 21, 2018 5:02 PM UTC  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Mar 21, 2018 5:02 PM UTC After 10 seasons of [_Friends_](http://time.com/5192289/friends-fan-theories/), it was probably difficult for most fans to picture [Monica’s apartment](http://time.com/4476290/friends-fest-engagement-monica-chandler/) painted any other color than [purple](http://time.com/5195377/google-doodle-william-henry-perkins-purple/). But according to production designer John Shaffner, that unique lilac shade wasn’t always set in stone. While speaking to [_Great Big Story_](https://www.greatbigstory.com/stories/the-man-who-designed-the-set-of-friends), Shaffner revealed that he had to work to convince producers that purple was the right choice for the iconic New York City set—which would house every main character except Ross at some point in the series. “Everybody was really anxious about it,” he said. “Until I painted the little model purple.” Shaffner went on to explain that he was drawn to the attention-grabbing hue because he knew it would draw viewers into the sitcom. “Color is really important in terms of establishing the show identity,” he said. “When you switched to _Friends_, you saw that it was purple and you stayed tuned.” Watch the full video below. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5209157/friends-monica-purple-apartment-reason/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5209157/friends-monica-purple-apartment-reason/"},"headline":"The Real Reason Monica's Apartment Was Purple on Friends","datePublished":"2018-03-21T17:02:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-12T09:03:33.955Z","description":"The color choice wasn't always set in stone","url":"https://time.com/5209157/friends-monica-purple-apartment-reason/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Television","Friends","TV"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d1162918f8de109/69892b8aab6d7740a86b22b4/friends-apartment.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d1162918f8de109/69892b8aab6d7740a86b22b4/friends-apartment.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Friends - Season 1","caption":"Friends - Season 1","creditText":"Reisig & Taylor/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5209157/friends-monica-purple-apartment-reason/","name":"The Real Reason Monica's Apartment Was Purple on Friends"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How Much Money Did Each Character on Friends Spend on Coffee","description":"How Much Money Did Each Character on Friends Spend on Coffee","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/5kcbriTH/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-01-18T20:44:31.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/5kcbriTH.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5209157/friends-monica-purple-apartment-reason/","duration":"PT1M24S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5209157/friends-monica-purple-apartment-reason/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```