5 Facts About Mindy's Apartment on The Mindy Project

If you're a fan of The Mindy Project, you've probably noticed the killer New York City apartment that main character Dr. Mindy Lahiri lives in. The one-bedroom pad is set in a Manhattan brownstone and abounds in design details like a spiral staircase (which, as far as we know, leads to nowhere) and a gorgeous walk-in closet. We poked around to see what we could learn about the fictional apartment. Here are five fun facts that we dug up. The show airs Tuesday nights at 9:30 p.m.

In real life, the apartment would be worth $2.5 million.
Kaling did some calculations and estimated that her one-bedroom apartment would sell for $2.5 million in the real world. If you've ever wondered how Mindy could afford such a nice, spacious apartment (she is a doctor, but still) production designer Michael Gallenberg told EW.com that the large size of the apartment was a production necessity, not necessarily a reflection of Mindy's wealth. "There are probably some apartments in New York that are the size of that empty 10 x 10 foyer … but Mindy's apartment is intentionally over-sized so that we can get cameras in there to shoot scenes without [having to] tear the set completely apart. The apartment is probably a little bit above her means, but not that much. She's a doctor in her early 30s, so she's got some money."

The kitchen is intentionally small.
As much as we like Mindy's apartment, we've noticed that the kitchen is on the small side. This was by design, Gallenberg says, since Dr. Lahiri doesn't like to cook. Instead, she orders takeout, hence the sheaf of menus (collected from actual NYC restaurants) appended to the fridge.

Kaling decorated the apartment with her own photos.
Look closely and you'll notice photos of Kaling with her family and college friends scattered around the apartment. In fact, Kaling supplied a lot of the set pieces. "Mindy went on Etsy and started driving around in her little Mini Cooper, and 90 percent of the stuff in here is stuff she bought and threw in her car," writer Jeremy Bronson told Elle.com. However, Kaling says the apartment doesn't reflect her personal taste: "The apartment is very eclectic and colorful in a way I’m more averse to. I like things to be more muted. It’s very young. I’m 34, and to me, this has a much younger feel to it, maybe someone who’s more playful.

Kaling loves the turquoise chandelier.
Kaling's favorite part of her make-believe apartment is the standout turquoise chandelier in the dining room. "That chandelier we had many discussions about," said Bronson. "We came in this year and the chandelier had been changed and we were like, 'No no no, it has to be this chandelier!' That's [Mindy's] favorite piece in the whole place."

The show is set in New York City, but every scene is shot in L.A.
This doesn't surprise us too much — the street scenes look a tad too sanitized for New York City. The show is apparently filmed on two stages at Universal Studios in L.A. There's also a fake New York City block in the back lot called "New York Street," according to writer Tracey Wigfield. "On the lot there's a big New York street and that's where we do a lot of our exteriors, like outside of Mindy's office and outside Mindy's apartment."