What's Wrong With Jerry's Apartment In Seinfeld, According To Designers

Despite having been off the air for over 20 years, "Seinfeld" continues to find loyal fans in both future generations and those who watched it when it was one of the most popular shows on TV. Unlike a lot of other television sets from the '80s and '90s, Jerry's apartment — one of the main settings of the show — holds up well today in terms of layout and design. From the minimalistic approach to realistic additions like a bike hanging on the wall and cereal on the kitchen counter, there is a lot to like about the apartment today. However, both professional designers and fans of the show have spoken out about things wrong with the apartment, with some finding it drab and others arguing the layout is unrealistic. 

According to Katie Stix, an interior designer who spoke to Insider, the apartment could do with some more color. "My first thought is that this apartment desperately needs art," she explained. "I love the couch color but it drives me nuts when the accent pillows match the couch." With the characters' big personalities onstage, the apartment décor could rise to the occasion and be more of a character itself.

Fans of the show have also taken issue with the layout of the apartment over the years, including a thread on Reddit that argued Jerry's hallways couldn't even exist. This perspective states that the angle of Jerry's front door points to the kitchen, which means the hall Kramer uses to slip through the door couldn't exist without the kitchen protruding into it. One user even created a 3D layout of the apartment to prove this point. 

Other Reddit users pointed out that based on the layout, Newman couldn't exist and Phil's door would be literally in Jerry's cereal cabinet. Even the creators of "Seinfeld" have acknowledged the hallway issue. The DVD collection mentions there are a few different hallway sets used, which is likely the source of confusion for fans looking for a realistic layout that makes logical sense. What is realistic about the apartment? The dingy and paper-thin walls found in many NYC units.

Die hard fans of any sitcom love to find inconsistencies, and "Seinfeld" viewers are no exception. For starters, the pilot featured a leather couch before switching to the well-known blue fabric one, and the bike hanging on the wall changed in both style and color over the years. 

But while these changes can be explained, one that is more difficult to account for is Jerry's apartment number. Visible on the door in various scenes throughout the series, the apartment number is usually 5A. But eagle-eyed fans have noticed that in one episode it says 3A, and in another it says 411, per Screen Rant. Why the inconsistency? No one can say for sure, but it's likely just a sneaky little Easter egg set designers left for the amusement of fans or even themselves. Newman also apparently has an inconsistent apartment number — it is mentioned he lives in both 5F and 5E.