Lifestyle

She gave her drab L.A. apartment a stunning makeover for $2,500

Published

1 year ago

December 9, 2024

She gave her drab L.A. apartment a stunning makeover for ,500

As an art director with a background in theater, Mary Kenny has a flair for interior design that rivals her skills as an event planner in the entertainment industry.

For her, there is no such thing as “too busy” when decorating her 600-square-foot apartment. “I like to have a sense of humor,” says the self-described maximalist. “Your home shouldn’t be too serious. I want my space to feel balanced between funky and chill.”

Kenny’s gallery wall is filled with sentimental items displayed in frames she purchased at Valley Value Center: paw prints from her deceased cats, a postcard she mailed to herself on her 30th-birthday solo trip to Paris, the license plate from her first car, a signed Billie Eilish photo and a painting of Dodgers Stadium by a friend, artist Lee Ferris.

Mary Kenny's living room in her Los Angeles apartment before she moved in.

Kenny, a native of North Carolina, is accustomed to living small. Before moving into her apartment a little over a year ago, she lived in a 250-square-foot bachelor apartment without a kitchen.

“I traveled all the time,” she says, justifying life without a stove and refrigerator. Then the pandemic hit. “I spent a year there,” she says. “Thankfully, it was only $1,000 a month.”

When it came time to find a more appropriate apartment in Los Angeles, where more than half the population is renters, she had difficulty tracking down something she liked that she could afford. “The listings would say there’s laundry, and there wasn’t. Or there was parking, and there wasn’t.”

She says the apartment she eventually moved into isn’t perfect, but it’s rent-stabilized at $1,700 a month. “I always dreamed of owning a home,” she says. “It’s hard to accept that it’s not the American Dream anymore.”

Books and accessories on a coffee table.

Hand-written cards hang on a bulletin board.

A thrifted sofa, drop cloths, a Magic 8 Ball — Mary Kenny’s apartment in L.A. is a stylish retreat that didn’t break the bank.

At a time when thrifting is booming for its economic and environmental benefits, especially among Gen Z consumers, Kenny, herself a millennial at age 36, has shown that it’s possible to create a stylish, humorous and budget-friendly retreat with secondhand finds.

Spending roughly $2,500, she has transformed an unremarkable one-bedroom apartment with gray vinyl floors into a vibrant representation of who she is: colorful and fun.

“I’m not afraid of mixing patterns and textures,” she says.

With a resourceful eye, Kenny has furnished her apartment with Facebook Marketplace finds, thrift store treasures and free hand-me-downs from friends. Her resourcefulness is not just impressive; it’s inspiring. She proudly estimates that her apartment is about 80% thrifted. Her only new splurges? A standing desk for her work-from-home setup and colorful, one-of-a-kind hand block-printed bedding from Anthropologie.

An all-white kitchen with colorful accents.

Not a big cook, Kenny says the kitchen is her least inspired room. She left the all-white kitchen as is and added colorful accessories. (Mary Kenny)

“I don’t like to spend money,” says Kenny. She humorously refers to herself as a “cheapskate” who constantly looks for unique pieces on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. Like her, her home is a work in progress, continually being reinvented.

Among her many bargain finds is a plush velvet sofa she purchased for $80 on Facebook Marketplace. “If my cats scratch it up, I can sell it for 50 bucks when I leave,” she says. Her queen-size bed is a hand-me-down from a friend. To make custom curtains similar to those she spotted at Anthropologie, she dyed a 6-by-9-foot canvas drop cloth from Harbor Freight, which cost $6.99. She says, “I cut the drop cloth into two panels, dyed them with fabric dye and then sewed them together.” If you don’t sew, don’t worry, she says, “you can cut them with pinking shears or use no-sew iron-on tape.”

Wallpaper with red lips in an apartment bathroom

Black-and-white-checkered peel-and-stick vinyl flooring and a lips rug

A signed makeup wipe from Kenny’s favorite drag queen and black-and-white-checkered peel-and-stick vinyl flooring make a statement in the bathroom.

Kenny doesn’t think twice about stuffing furnishings from her treasure hunts into the back of her tiny Nissan Versa — she has been known to secure items with bungee cords — or repurposing everyday ephemera into something special.

“There was an episode of Marie Kondo’s ‘Tidying Up’ where she suggested displaying sentimental items rather than keeping them in boxes under the bed,” Kenny says of the family mementos, airline tickets and pet portraits she has on display in her gallery wall. Other items, such as a collection of greeting cards attached to a bulletin board filled with buttons, paper hearts and photo booth pictures, demonstrate the importance of her few family heirlooms. “I wish I had more,” she says. “I’ve moved around a lot and was never able to keep larger things.”

Above her couch, she has hung her most prized family possessions: photos of her grandmother featured in the Evansville Press in Indiana in 1964 after she learned to skydive and joined a parachute club.

A dining room table in front of a floral mural on the wall.

When asked for tips on arranging a gallery wall, Kenny recommends laying it out on the floor first. “I used to do brown paper templates and be really picky,” she says, “but now my strategy is just maintaining lines. I pick one item to be the center and move outward from there, trying to line up the bottom of the first item with the bottom of the second, then the third item lines up with the top of the second and so on.”

When it comes to hanging the frames on the wall, she swears by a blue tape method by @lemonleafhomeinteriors that she viewed on TikTok.

But Kenny’s apartment is not just about thrifting; it also showcases her versatile do-it-yourself skills. She created a vibrant botanical mural in the dining room by transferring the pattern onto Tempaper & Co. paintable removable peel-and-stick wallpaper using a projector, tracing it with a pencil and painting it with affordable acrylic craft paints from Michaels. Outlined with a Krink paint marker, the oversize gerbera daisy mural makes a statement from every room in the apartment. “The mural is a fun way to add color to walls without having to repaint when you move out,” she says.

The bedroom featured gray vinyl flooring and blinds on the window before she moved in.

Kenny notes that the “rental-friendly” peel-and-stick mural and bathroom decor are removable and that she restores the walls and fills any holes upon move-out; however, it’s always best to check with your landlord before you embark on your own renovations.

To provide privacy from a nearby apartment building in her Larchmont neighborhood, Kenny put Prism privacy film on the windows of her kitchen and living room and installed NoNo no-drill curtain brackets, specifically designed to attach to mounted blinds. “It’s a rental-friendly way to hide” blinds, Kenny says.

Though she has a keen design sense, Kenny likes to use the free online tool Floorplanner, which creates 3-D floor plans. The tool helps her understand the scale of the items she’s buying and how they’ll all fit together in her space. “It’s immensely helpful,” she says. “You can experiment with different layouts and furniture arrangements before making any purchases.”

Of all the places to make a statement, however, Kenny says money goes a long way in the bathroom. “Bathrooms are the perfect place to be silly,” she says of her lipstick kiss-themed bathroom, inspired by a makeup wipe she purchased from her favorite drag queen, Tammie Brown, on Instagram and later framed. “I used peel-and-stick wallpaper, Tempaper & Co. paintable wallpaper and a faux flexible chair rail to transform this space. The floors are black-and-white checkered peel-and-stick vinyl. I wanted it to feel over the top.”

She succeeded.

Mary Kenny sits on a rust velvet couch in her apartment.

Looking back to when she was growing up, Kenny recalls begging her mother to let her redo her bedroom. “I painted the walls and outfitted the two twin beds with leopard-print bedspreads,” she says. “I feel like I’m still in that stage.”

For her next project, Kenny hopes to move to a two-bedroom soon. “I’m working on becoming a foster parent,” she says.

The prospect of reimagining another blank slate and starting anew is enticing for the creative force. “I think I’d sell things that feel easy to come by, not especially unique or actually vintage,” says Kenny. “My favorite thing is selling something for the exact amount I bought it for. It’s like I rented it for free. My second favorite thing is not having to move it myself.”

Makeover budget

Here, Kenny — a “track every expense” kind of person — breaks down the budget for her rental apartment makeover.

Bedroom
Headboard	$120	Facebook Marketplace
Cow chair	$60	Facebook Marketplace
Home Depot rug	$220	New
Feather lamps	$40	Facebook Marketplace
Dresser + side tables	$120	Craigslist
Quilt	$250	New — Anthropologie
Curtains	$75	New — Etsy
Curtain rods	$40	New
White curtains		Thrifted from previous apartment
Bed		Secondhand from friend
Tiger rug		Purchased for previous apartment in 2020 — originally $166

Living room
Desk	$153	New
Desk chair	$30	Craigslist
Living room lamps	$30	Out of the Closet
Living room side tables	$50	Facebook Marketplace
Living room rug		Secondhand from a friend
Chandelier	$70	Facebook Marketplace
Credenza	$80	Facebook Marketplace
Couch	$80	Facebook Marketplace
Coffee table	$40	Facebook Marketplace
Frames	$75	Valley Value Center
Frames	Free	Free — event
Dining room chairs	$60	Facebook Marketplace
Dining room rug	$150	Facebook Marketplace
Dining room table	$120	New
Paintable wallpaper	$75	New
Projector mount	$42	New
Projector screen	$164	New
Faux plants	Free	Free — event
Woven folding chairs	Free	Free — event
Yellow curtains with birds	Free	Made for previous apartment
White curtains	Free	Thrifted for previous apartment
Prism privacy film	$19
Bathroom
Faux chair rail	$28	New
Paint, paint supplies	$50	New
Kiss wallpaper	$82
Miscellaneous
Tchotchkes, decor	$250	Thrifted from Valley Value Center, Goodwill, Out of the Closet, free from events


	$2,573	Total

Lifestyle

Photos: 2026 Golden Globes Red Carpet

Published

10 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Ariana Grande arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.

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The brightest stars in TV and film kicked off the 83rd annual Golden Globes tonight in Beverly Hills, Calif. with Ariana Grande, Noah Wyle, Teyana Taylor and George Clooney are just some the names who walked the red carpet. This year’s ceremony was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser.

Here’s a glimpse of what some of the attendees are wearing tonight.

Michael B. Jordan

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Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Evans

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Jean Smart

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Teyana Taylor

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Owen Cooper

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Sara Wells and Noah Wyle

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Claire Danes

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Amanda Anka and Jason Bateman

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Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons

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Chris Olsen

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Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song

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Rose Byrne

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Kate Hudson

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Timothée Chalamet

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Miley Cyrus

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George Clooney and Amal Clooney

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Leonardo DiCaprio

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Michel Martin

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Steve Inskeep

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Leila Fadel

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A Martinez

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Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy

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Amanda Seyfried

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William Stanford Davis

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Tessa Thompson

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Kathy Bates

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Emma Stone

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Justin Sylvester

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Nikki Glaser

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Lifestyle

Nikki Glaser Wears ‘Spinal Tap’ Hat to Tribute Rob Reiner at Golden Globes

Published

11 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Nikki Glaser Wears ‘Spinal Tap’ Hat to Tribute Rob Reiner at Golden Globes

2026 Golden Globes
Nikki Glaser Shouts Out Rob Reiner …
Dons ‘Spinal Tap’ Hat at Close of Show

Published
January 11, 2026
8:42 PM PST

Rob Reiner wasn’t forgotten at this year’s Golden Globe awards … because host Nikki Glaser paid tribute to him just weeks after his murder.

Here’s the deal … during the sign-off for the awards show, Nikki came onstage wearing a black and white “Spinal Tap” hat — the band which serves as the subject of Reiner’s iconic 1984 mockumentary of the same name.

Worth noting … the Golden Globes do not typically air an in memoriam — so this was the only time Reiner was mentioned at the show.

As you know … Rob and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home last month. Their son Nick Reiner has been arrested for murder in connection to the case.

TMZ.com

Nick’s arraignment was scheduled for last week … but, his lawyer Alan Jackson dropped out of the case — leaving Nick with a public defender and new arraignment date set for late February.

Jackson told a gaggle of reporters outside the courthouse that Nick’s not guilty … but, he simply can’t defend him. He did not provide a reason for his withdrawal.

Rob Reiner-HULU-INLINE

Our new documentary “TMZ Investigates The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened” dives into Rob and Michele’s grisly deaths … as well as Nick’s history of mental health issues and even how his weight gain set him on a dangerous path.

“TMZ Investigates The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened” is now streaming on Hulu.

Lifestyle

Sunday Puzzle: Pet theory

Published

22 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

On-air challenge

Today’s puzzle is called “Pet Theory.” Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word start starts PE- and the second word starts T-. (Ex. What walkways at intersections carry –> PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC)

1. Chart that lists all the chemical elements

2. Place for a partridge in “The 12 Days of Christmas”

3. Male voyeur

4. What a coach gives a team during halftime in the locker room

5. Set of questions designed to reveal your traits

6. Something combatants sign to end a war

7. Someone who works with you one-on-one with physical exercises

8. Member of the Who

9. Incisors, canines, and premolars that grow in after you’re a baby

10. Nadia Comaneci was the first gymnast to score this at the Olympics

11. What holds the fuel in a British car

Last week’s challenge

Last week’s challenge was a numerical one from Ed Pegg Jr., who runs the website mathpuzzle.com. Take the nine digits — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. You can group some of them and add arithmetic operations to get 2011 like this: 1 + 23 ÷ 4 x 5 x 67 – 8 + 9. If you do these operations in order from left to right, you get 2011. Well, 2011 was 15 years ago. Can you group some of the digits and add arithmetic symbols in a different way to make 2026? The digits from 1 to 9 need to stay in that order. I know of two different solutions, but you need to find only one of them.

Challenge answer

12 × 34 × 5 – 6 – 7 + 8 – 9 [or] 1 + 2 + 345 × 6 – 7 × 8 + 9

Winner

Daniel Abramson of Albuquerque, N.M.

This week’s challenge

This week’s challenge comes from listener Ward Hartenstein. Think of a well-known couple whose names are often said in the order of _____ & _____. Seven letters in the names in total. Combine those two names, change an E to an S, and rearrange the result to name another famous duo who are widely known as _____ & _____.

If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it below by Thursday, January 15 at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle.