Getting a Veteran Home in Time for Christmas With Designing Spaces’ Military Makeover
Just in time for Christmas and holiday celebrations, Army Veteran Billy Phinizy and his family moved back into their “new” home, courtesy of the Designing Spaces’ Military Makeover show airing on Lifetime® Television that gives back to deserving members of the military by providing whole home renovations that transform the families’ lives. The show’s host, retired United States Marine Corps Staff Sergeant R. Lee Ermey, “The Gunny,” especially loves the final reveals: “The family comes back for the big reveal and there is nothing like this moment for us, my favorite part of the whole shebang.”
This is the fourth Military Makeover home in 2016 that Budget Blinds® has supplied with custom window coverings, designed for energy efficiency and child-safe functionality, along with exceptional beauty and style. Budget Blinds chose classic composite shutters and cordless faux wood blinds from their exclusive private label collection, Enlightened StyleTM, along with contemporary drapery panels and decorative hardware from Rowley, one of Budget Blinds’ trusted manufacturing partners.
Combining style and function
Billy Phinizy, a 68W Army Combat Medic, served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and medically retired in 2010 due to severe PTSD, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other related health issues that have made civilian life a challenge. He and wife, Lauren, were delighted and thankful at the prospect of the makeover for their home and consulted with Jeremy Sherman, franchise owner of Budget Blinds serving Kendall, to fine tune their needs for window coverings.
Tracy Christman, Vice President of Vendor Alliance at Budget Blinds, appears on the reveal show to talk about the window covering choices that were made.
Master bedroom
A combination of shutters and drapery fulfill the need for light and privacy control, as well as creating an inviting, relaxing environment. The 3-1/2” slats give a modern look to the window treatments and open up for a wider outside view. The cordless design keeps with the need for child-safe window treatments in the home. “We installed shutters throughout the house, and in the master bedroom we added the beautiful draperies and drapery hardware to complete that luxury retreat look. They can close the drapes for complete blackout or pull them aside for more of that eye candy appeal.” — Tracy
Family room/playroom
The family room’s large slider doors needed coverage without sacrificing the need of keeping an eye on the kids when playing outside. Lined drapery from our Inspired Drapes® collection of ready-made panels beautifully filled the bill for light, privacy and kid watching. “Lined contemporary print drapes added a “wow” factor to the big sliders. Close for privacy, leave open to have that view to the outside when the kids are playing.” –Tracy
Living room
Unique shaped windows are no problem with custom shutters, as this arched window and sidelights on the front door clearly demonstrate. Custom shutters can accommodate just about any window.
Kids’ bedrooms
Gracie and Ben both received shutters in the color of Brite White in their bedrooms, enhancing their very different styles. Gracie’s choices of pinks and Hello Kitty were perfect with the shutters and Ben’s international nod to Big Ben and London brought in blues and reds for another great combination with the white shutters. Cordless shutters are ideal for kids’ rooms and Tracy explains, “We wanted to make sure both kids were safe in their rooms, so you’ll see no dangling cords, truly making this a child-safe product.”
“The whole shebang”
Military Makeover brings together lots of people dedicated to improving the lives of Veterans, including expert decorators, designers, landscapers, volunteers and Budget Blinds. It’s a focused effort to bring effective change to a Veteran and their family, one home makeover at a time. Tracy shares the Budget Blinds’ commitment to give back to Veterans, “We love being a partner with you guys on these projects!”
Additional features of the Phinizy family makeover included:
- A modular set of outside patio furniture and grill to accommodate the family’s love of entertaining
- New floors in five rooms, appropriately tough for an active family
- Budget Blinds’ faux wood blinds in the renovated bathrooms
- Professionally framed original art, including two from the Peter Max 9/11 series
You can see the full final reveal show for the Phinizy family by clicking here, or watch the Budget Blinds segments on the Expert’s Choice page of our Life and Style Blog.
If you love what you see here, Budget Blinds can do the same for your home with new, custom window treatments to update your windows. Call 866-879-9730 today to schedule a FREE, in-home consultation or go online to www.budgetblinds.com to find the Style Consultant nearest you. We offer unlimited design potential with custom blinds, shutters, shades, drapes and more, including the ultimate convenience of motorization, innovative energy efficient styles and cordless operation for child safety.
View our previous Military Makeover shows to see how different styles of window coverings addressed the unique needs for each family:
