Apartment 4A

Apartment 4A is the primary setting in The Big Bang Theory, and is the where Sheldon and Leonard live. It is situated in an apartment complex at 2311 N. Los Robles Avenue. When viewed from the satellite photographics in "The Countdown Reflection" episode, it appears to be located at 215 S Madison Ave. Due to the primary characters in the series, albeit Penny, being of the "nerd" social classification, the apartment has been dubbed as "Nerdvana" by Howard in season 1 episode 14 "The Nerdvana Annihilation".

Apartment 4A is located on the fourth floor of the building across from Apartment 4B, where Penny lives. 4A is known to be a corner apartment, being that it has windows facing outside on two sides.

Apartment 4A is also a hidden easter egg (apt 4A = foray)- either a "great raid" or the voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel, June Foray.

Layout
The apartment has one living room, one bathroom, and two bedrooms. A hallway links the the living room to the bedrooms. The kitchen is part of the main living area.

Immediately upon entering, the wall on the right houses Sheldon and Leonard's desks and the TV. The wall ends in the kitchen part. This wall is rarely visible, being the wall that is the view into the apartment from which the episodes are filmed, and has only been shown on two occasions (one is in "The Euclid Alternative", S2E5).

The wall immediately to the left after entering the apartment has a long bookshelf that ends at a small closet, with the wall itself ending at a large window with a desk and telescope. can be seen from this window, which has been used on several occasions:
 * "The Tangerine Factor" (S1E17), Penny throws her ex-boyfriend Mike's out of it
 * "The Panty Piñata Polarization" (S2E07), Sheldon shows Penny that he hung her clothes from a outside
 * "The Einstein Approximation" (S3E14), Sheldon throws a out the window, causing the sound of car tire screeching and car horns, implying that there is a fairly large road just down the window and that Sheldon just caused an accident.
 * "The Ornithophobia Diffusion" (S5E09), a lands on the window sill outside, which upsets Sheldon
 * "The Countdown Reflection" (S5E24) Howard and Bernadette are married on a rooftop ceremony which is photographed by satellite.

After the window, there is a corner and the hallway that leads to the bathroom, as well as Sheldon and Leonard's bedrooms. The kitchen area is a small area that has an island with rarely used s since they usually eat in the living room area. A window is located at the end of the visible wall of the kitchen area (which can be clearly seen in several kitchen area scenes, one typical instance is in "The Loobenfeld Decay" (S1E10), when Toby Loobenfeld talks with Sheldon in the kitchen area). Presumbly, this window is one of the two windows (the other being the large window described above) that Sheldon has stated "creates a cross breeze" when he describes his Spot.

Sheldon, at one point in time, had painted luminous arrows on the floor pointing to the various nearest emergency exits throughout the room. He shows them to Raj in "The Roommate Transmogrification" (S4E24), but gets rid of them before "The Friendship Contraction" (S5E15) when he explains that they were "wildly ".

Production-wise, the bathroom interior, Sheldon's bedroom, and Leonard's bedroom are actually filmed on a different set than the rest of the apartment. The actual apartment set ends at a corner in the hallway immediately after the bathroom door which is for easier filming access and better view of the actors for the studio audience.

History
In "The Staircase Implementation", the story of how Leonard and Sheldon meet is revealed. Sheldon places an ad for a roommate after his former roommate, Sebastian, is driven to the brink of madness from Sheldon's antics. Leonard encounters Sebastian on his way to the interview with Sheldon, and he tells Leonard to run away. Leonard is accepted by Sheldon as his new roommate and inherits Sebastian's former room, only to discover that Sebastian wrote "DIE SHELDON DIE" in red (like in a slasher film) on the wall.

At this time, the apartment also had significantly less furniture in the living room. Sheldon's only placement was two s and s as the TV stand. Even at this point in time, Sheldon's lawn chair was placed in the exact spot that he claims later on the couch. Their first major addition in furniture to the apartment was the leather couch, in which Leonard buys for $100 from tenants on the first floor who were moving out; which is a great deal, since a new Manhattan Leather Sofa retails for around $2,999. Careful watchers may recognize the style of sofa; while the boys utilize the full 3 cushion sofa, defective detective Adrian Monk from the series "Monk" sports the smaller, two cushion model, of the line.

In "The Bozeman Reaction", the apartment got burglarized. Some of Sheldon and Leonard's game systems and various games were stolen. The police were also called to the apartment in "The Zarnecki Incursion", when Sheldon's World of Warcraft account was hacked.

In "The Staircase Implementation", an "apartment " is mentioned as a small blue flag with a on it of a gold lion  on a  on it. Flipping it upside down signifies that the apartment is in distress. In "The Roommate Transmogrification", Raj was given a version.

Bathroom
The bathroom is the first door down the hallway off the living room.

The bathroom can be seen in:
 * [S01E01] - Penny showers
 * [S02E06] - Sheldon hides from Ramona

Sheldon has placed a UV sterilization light there to stop his toothbrush from being infected by germs. Sheldon also has tape on the floor which serves to avoid splatter on the mirror from flossing teeth, and to stop urine from getting on the floor when men use the toilet. Sheldon also has a squeegee to clean the mirror.

Other items seen in the bathroom include:

From the pilot episode

Other items:


 * robot launching poster (moves to living room next episode)
 * unidentified photograph of a pipe/valve framed over the towel cabinet
 * cherry bookshelf with glass doors used as a towel cabinet*
 * French Country style faucet by Kingston Brass, pewter finish

From S02E06 "The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem"




 * Framed over the toilet, the astronaut image features NASA's Bruce McCandles II making the 1st untethered walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit on February 7, 1984.
 * A super rare City of Heroes poster is behind the door over the towel cabinet (it's an enlargement of the artwork from inside the CD)

Later episodes




 * "Bounty Hunters" artwork by Randy Martinez. Limited edition of 350 prints. Seen above the towel cabinet. Reprints are now available from AcmeArchives.

Sheldon's bedroom
Sheldon's bedroom is located immediately after the bathroom. Sheldon usually keeps his bedroom locked, and rarely allows anyone inside.

Check out Sheldon's bedroom.

Leonard's bedroom
Leonard's bedroom is the last room in the hallway. There is a ledge outside that runs by both bedroom windows. Sheldon uses this ledge during "The Bozeman Reaction" to access Leonard's room because he is too paranoid to go out of his bedroom because they were burglarized earlier in the episode.

Check out Leonard's bedroom.

Kitchen
Items seen in the kitchen include:

From the Pilot Episode:


 * Tea kettle: The set features a blue kettle for Season One, switching to an orange one starting in Season Two


 * The Cylon toaster is VERY hard to find, you're going to have to buy used or from a collector. They occasionally pop up on the online auction sites (click HERE to search eBay ). The same model from the show can go for $200 or more in good condition, but similar models with slight differences can be had for $30 or $40.


 * Toaster oven (gets destroyed by the guys' battle robot in "The Killer Robot Instability")

From Season One, Episode 2: The Big Bran Hypothesis

From Season One, Episode 3: The Fuzzy Boots Corollary

From Season One, Episode 7: The Dumpling Paradox

From Season One, Episode 8: The Grasshopper Experiment

From Season One, Episode 12: The Bat Jar Conjecture

From Later Episodes: 
 * [S02E02] Rubik's cube cookie jar (on far right of the counter)
 * wooden tea chest from WatchMaterial
 * Batman lunch tote with cape

Living Room
Artwork


 * [pilot] Barewalls Vintage Flight III, black and white photo of airplane by Janet von Arsdale, seen to the left of the front door, replaced by the Captain Future poster in next episode
 * [pilot] Robots Exploring Desert by Michael Saul. Located at right of front door
 * [pilot] Forbidden Planet poster (1956 sci-fi film)[pilot]
 * [pilot] Nikola Tesla lab poster (1899 photo) located to the right of the closet
 * [pilot] The Helix Nebula - print from the Hubble Space Telescope; seen in the alcove
 * [pilot] Orion Nebula - print from the Hubble Space Telescope; seen in the alcove
 * [pilot] Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula - print from the Hubble Space Telescope; seen in the alcove
 * [pilot] The Whirlpool Galaxy M51 with companion  - print from the Hubble Space Telescope, seen originally in the alcove, but quickly moved to the message center on the side of the fridge
 * [pilot] Electromagnetic Spectrum Chart, seen leading from living room into the hallway
 * [S01E02] Captain Future poster, left of the front door
 * [S01E04] International Space Station print, solar panels against Earth's horizon, seen in the hallway outside Sheldon's bedroom
 * [S01E05] War of the Worlds poster by Frank Paul, in the hallway
 * [S02E09] black and white photo print of train wheels, on the wall in the hallway
 * [S02E19] The Final Blow by Eric Joyner (called "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots by some)
 * [S03E01] The Incident by Eric Joyner, framed at the top left of the bookshelves behind the couch

Electronics


 * [pilot] cordless phone
 * [pilot] Spirit of St Louis two valve radio, on top of the bookshelf behind the couch
 * [pilot] Sheldon's red Dell XPS M1710 gaming laptop (red only available in special edition)
 * [pilot] Meade 20218 NG-79SM 70mm refractor telescope
 * [S01E02] Spirit of St Louis standard model vintage replica radio in the bookshelf next to the front door
 * [S01E02] Logitech Audio Station iPod Speaker System, on the bookshelf next to the front door
 * [S01E04] aircraft vertical compass, on the island left of the front door
 * [S01E04] two antique phones with ring boxes, on top of the card file
 * Alienware M17 Nebula laptop computer
 * Celestron NexStar 102 SLT computerized telescope
 * Dyson air multiplier 10" white, in the alcove, usually on the card file, later seen in blue
 * Amazon Kindle (seen in "The Pants Alternative"[3]  and "The Gorilla Experiment"[4] )
 * Apple iMac
 * computers (Sheldon and Leonard originally both had Dell XPS M1710s — Sheldon's was in limited edition red — but both were stolen in "The Bozeman Reaction" and replaced with an Alienware M17 Nebula for Sheldon and a Dell XPS Adamo for Leonard)
 * Video Gaming platforms/consoles/controllers:
 * Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
 * Super NES
 * Nintendo 64
 * Nintendo GameCube
 * Nintendo Wii
 * PlayStation (1-3)
 * PlayStation portable (taken away by Ramona in "The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem")
 * Xbox, Xbox 360
 * Razer Orca Pro Gaming Headset  (usually hanging on the Apple iMac monitor on the desk near the rear window)

Furnishings


 * [pilot] Glass coffee table (where the gang usually eats and plays various games on)
 * [pilot] desks (for the laptops and iMac near the back window)
 * [pilot] Moroni Havana Leather couch (with Sheldon's spot)
 * [pilot] Ektorp armchair, from Ikea
 * [pilot] Pubmaster dartboard by Sportcraft
 * [pilot] swing arm floor lamp in silver/nickel finish
 * [pilot] "The Thinker" bookends, seen on Leonard's desk and in the bookshelves behind the couch
 * [pilot] Blue "Button Down" pillow, seen on the couch in the pilot and early episodes
 * [pilot] Wedgwood Rayon Chenille Throw (out of stock), seen on the couch in the pilot and first several seasons
 * [pilot] black wall switch and outlet accent covers by Leviton
 * [S01E02] marble-topped island vegetable bin with 2 drawers and towel bar, the the left of the front door
 * [S01E02] Better Homes & Gardens Candlestick Lamp with Silken Toast lampshade
 * [S01E02] bankers chair
 * [S01E02] 30 drawer library card file
 * [S01E14] Pillow Perfect Roxen Striped Pillows, seen since Season 1, Episode 14
 * [S01E17] Gurli Orange throw pillow, seen since Season 1, Episode 17, usually on the Ektorp armchair
 * [S02E07] Camel colored plush throw blanket by Simple Deluxe, replaces the blue throw blanket
 * [S02E07] Gurli solid beige 20x20 throw pillow from Ikea, replaces the blue button down pillow
 * Large Pendant by Volume International, ceiling light for the alcove (appears to no longer be available in bronze finish).

Games
 * See Games
 * Optical Laser Chess:
 * Tommaso-chess-set-300x243-1-.jpg on a table at the edge of the alcove. This set of red and blue on a metallic board is a one of a kind piece that came from Tommaso Baldacchini at Newport Corp. (a laser and optics company near Burbank, CA). For more info, see this article from Central Science. It is intended to be played with actual lasers, so don't anticipate finding these for sale to the public.

Sheldon's Desk


 * [pilot] silver/nickel z-bar lamp
 * [pilot] silver robot
 * [pilot] black mesh pencil cup, by Rolodex
 * [S01E03] silver mesh pencil cup, by Design Ideas
 * [S01E03] silver mesh desk organizer, by Design Ideas
 * [S01E03] college-ruled composition books, by Meade Products
 * [S01E08] 3-D Space Navigator mouse, seen since Season 1, Episode 8
 * [S01E08] silver mesh pencil cube, by Design Ideas
 * Bazic large desktop calculator model 3001-48
 * Smeagol figurine, special item included with the Lord of the Rings, Two Towers DVD

Science-related


 * [pilot] Transparant celestial globe by American Educational Basic, on bookcase behind couch
 * [pilot] 17 Base Pair DNA Double Helix Model molecule model from Indigo.com - what you see in the show is actually TWO of these stacked on top of each other
 * [pilot] Plasma ball (on bookcase behind couch)
 * [pilot] WMAP Beachball - from the Astrophysics Division at the Goddard Space Flight Center (read more. .)
 * [pilot] Meade 20218 NG-79SM 70mm Refractor Telescope, eventually replaced with a Celestron NexStar 102 SLT Computerized Telescope
 * [pilot] T-Rex figure, 1st appears on the bookcase in the alcove, then can be found on Leonard's and Sheldon's desks in early episodes, by Season 2 is most often seen on top of the shelves by the front door
 * [S01E02] Space shuttle Atlantis - 1/100 scale model from Tamiya (kit)
 * [S01E02] Armillary sphere, 1st seen on top of the cardfile in the alcove
 * [S01E08] Parasaurolophus figure, 1st seen on top of the cardfile in the alcove
 * [S01E09] RS Media robot from WowWee - usually on the cardfile in the alcove
 * Sheldon's reverse osmosis machine

Star Wars items


 * Han Solo & Luke Skywalker, Heroes of the Rebellion in Stormtrooper Disguise Sixth-Scale Figures, Han is in Leonard's bedroom, Luke is on the bookshelves behind the couch
 * In season 7 on the book case behind the sofa in the living room is a replica of the Yoda Lamp from The Empire Strikes Back. (First shelf down, far right side in the Scavenger Vortex episode. These are available from the manufacturer.)

Superheroes & figurines


 * [pilot] the apartment sports most of the DC Direct 13-inch character collection, including:
 * Batman
 * Robin
 * Captain Marvel
 * Green Lantern
 * Aquaman
 * BatGirl
 * Black Canary
 * Superman
 * [S01E08] RoboSapien figurine
 * [S01E14] SuperGirl figurine appeared in S1E14, 10 inch figurine by Japanese manufacturer, Kotobukiya
 * [S01E15] DC Direct ReActivated Superfriends Collection, Superman is on the trunk by the fridge, Wonder Woman and Batman are on the bookshelf to the right of the front door, unknown location for The Flash from this collection.>
 * [S02E02] DC Comics Justice League Build-A-Scene; All Star Batman and Robin, seen on the bookshelf behind the couch, top shelf next to the plasma ball in "The Codpiece Trilogy"
 * [S02E12] Bizzaro figurine 1st seen on the shelves next to the front door
 * [S02E12] DC Direct Infinite Crisis 2 series, Firestorm figurine, seen on top of the bookshelves behind the couch since S2E12, but spends most of the season on top of the bookshelf behind the front door
 * [S02E12] DC Direct Ultimate Showdown: Green Lanters vs Sinestro, Green Lantern can be seen on the shelf behind the front door, Sinestro appears in a later episode
 * [S02E13] Batman, Gotham Knight statue, 1st seen on the bookshelf behind the front door
 * [S02E16] DC Comics Justice League Build a Scene Part 3 (Green Lantern and The Flash), 1st seen on the bookshelf behind the front door
 * [S02E17] Batman ArtFX Statue (black costume version) by Kotobukiya, 1st seen in the bookcase next to Sheldon's bed
 * [S02E18] Batman: black and white mini-statue by Neal Adams, 1st seen on the bookshelf by the front door
 * [S02E18] DC Comics Justice Leage Build a Scene Part 2 (Black Canary and Superman), 1st seen on the bookshelves behind the couch, next to the space shuttle
 * [S02E22] DC Direct 13-inch Supergirl figure (seen at far right of kitchen area)
 * [S07E08] Batman: The Dark Crusader Mini-Statue, on the bookshelf behind front door

Other film, television, pop culture


 * [S01E14] Dr. Who: a black dalek appears on the shelves behind the couch in The Nerdvana Annhilation


 * Game of Thrones: "Longclaw" sword (Sheldon and Leonard buy it at the comic book store in "The Russian Rocket Reaction") — see this blog by the maker, Valyrian Steel, regarding their sword's appearance on the show
 * Lord of the Rings; Weta Gollum figurine — seen on Sheldon's desk in "The Gorilla Experiment"

Miscellaneous


 * [pilot] Various books and computer software on shelves
 * [pilot] Leonard's high school yearbook (read by Amy in "The Pulled Groin Extrapolation")
 * [pilot] Sheldon's and Leonard's whiteboards
 * stuffed animal "Timmy", the ThinkGeek.com monkey, can be seen sometimes on the end table next to Sheldon's spot, other times on top of the bookshelf behind the couch
 * [S01E08] Robosapien figurine, seen since Season 1, Episode 8; usually in the bookshelves behind the couch
 * [S02E11] Magic 8 ball by Mattel
 * Rubik's cube tissue box (seen in many episodes, but featured in "The Rhinitis Revelation" where Leonard holds it out to a sick Sheldon)
 * Christmas stuff
 * Batman/Bat Signal ornament
 * Superman logo ornament
 * Yoda stocking
 * R2D2 stocking
 * Darth Vader stocking

See Part 7: Shedding Light on Dark Matter of the book Unraveling the Mysteries of the Big Bang Theory by George Beahm (2011, BenBella Books, ISBN 9781936661312) for more fantasy, sci-fi, pop culture, and other items mentioned on the show in general.