Filipino Interior Designer Angela Te-Sabordo reimagined Monica Geller’s apartment in “Friends” and gave it a 2021 makeover! Her inspiration for the reimagined iconic apartment’s design is modern eclectic. According to Sabordo, eclectic interior style is defined as a combination of old and new, incorporation of global influences, and bold statements balanced with neutral schemes.
The Pinay “Friends” fan elaborated how she conceptualized the design:
This updated version of Monica’s apartment was inspired by her character on the show. Monica is known as a ‘neat freak obsessed with cleanliness’, a perfectionist (Google “Monica Gellar’s towels”), and a ‘control freak’ (source: Wikipedia).
Also, according to Friends set decorator Greg Grande¹, Monica “had a really good eye and was really meticulous and creative”.To bring the iconic eclectic apartment up to date, the purple walls simply had to go (Sorry, but not really). White walls are much easier on the eyes and provide a great backdrop for color splashes.Plus, imagine staring at those purple walls 24/7 while riding out the pandemic (they’re slowly closing in).
‘????? ????? ??????? ??? ???????? ????????? ???? ???? ?????? ??’?? ?????? ?? ??? ?? 2021, ??? ???? ????????? ????? ???: ???????.’²The color scheme remains somewhat faithful to the original concept: purple, but complemented with reds and greens, and lots of wood.The purple door and the yellow frame have to remain because of course, they have to, as well as the wood frame around the kitchen. The kitchen cabinets I decided would be purple – a very light lilac – with gold cabinet handles. White marble counters and backsplash are a neutral supplement to the lilac but are beautiful in their own simplicity. The dining chairs, I imagined, are flea market finds, reupholstered in a black and white patterned fabric that complements the rug. Very understated chic.
The sofa I replaced with a big, comfortable sectional. With the ongoing pandemic making hermits of us all, and Monica’s five close friends always around, this seemed like a better option (the white fabric is stain-resistant so don’t worry).Eclectic interior style is a combination of old and new, incorporation of global influences, bold statements balanced with neutral schemes. In the case of the pillows, they are a mix-and-match collection of prints and solids in bright purples, reds, and greens, with a modern Ikat rug framing the living area. A velvet purple accent chair and an ottoman seat at the side of the room, perfect for reading and relaxing.
I imagined all the wooden tables and cabinets are thrift or flea market finds. Elements of cane weaving are found in some cabinets, as the art of craftsmanship is currently more appreciated. The vintage prints all over the apartment walls are just colorful enough to brighten up the space alongside plants happily tended to by a newly minted ‘plantita’.Overall, this redesign aimed to make the apartment look modern and timelessly chic, designed for and better suited to the client’s personality and tastes, updated according to current interior design trends and lifestyle changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did making it.References:[1] Greg Grande – on Monica’s style
What do you think of this updated version of Monica’s apartment? Tell us in the comments!
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