Military Makeover Style Guide: Linn Family by BrandStar Entertainment

THE LINN FAMILY HOME

Welcome to the Military Makeover Style Guide featuring the Linn Family!

In this edition, we share the transformation of the Linn family home in Hampton, New Jersey, redesigned to support comfort, strength, and everyday calm through simplicity and thoughtful planning.

Stephen Linn grew up in San Antonio, Texas, shaped by a family legacy of military service. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served nearly a decade with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the 10th Mountain Division. Today, he continues his service as a Critical Care Registered Nurse in New Jersey, returning to the profession after recovering from serious health challenges in 2023.

Alongside him is his wife, Leah Linn, a New Jersey native who balances her work in radiation therapy education with caring for their three children, Eleanor, Alexander, and Gabriel. Together, they are building a life rooted in family and community in Hampton, New Jersey.

As you explore this guide, you’ll see how the design blends cottage-inspired warmth with wood, subtle steel accents, and clean lines to create a home that feels grounded, organized, and supportive of mental wellness.

Join us as we celebrate the Linn family and their renewed home, shaped by service, care, and the rhythms of family life.

BEFORE

AFTER

DESIGN BOARD

PRIMARY BEDROOM

The Linns’ primary bedroom was reimagined as a calm, functional retreat where comfort and character live side by side. Soft layers, warm wood tones, and gentle color create a setting that feels grounded and easy to settle into at the end of a long day. Storage guided the design from the start, with thoughtful solutions, including built-in storage at the foot of the bed, helping the room stay open and organized.

A vintage mirror sourced through Habitat for Humanity ReStore adds depth and light, bringing warmth and personality into the space.

A cabinet from ReStore, hand painted by a local artist, introduces another layer of craftsmanship and purpose. The mirrors are positioned at matching heights and tucked behind the nightstands to reflect light and expand the room while keeping the overall look balanced and composed, allowing a cottage-inspired style to feel curated rather than cluttered.

Together, these elements create a bedroom that supports rest, clarity, and everyday living, giving the Linn family a space designed for comfort and ease.

A Home Designed With Purpose

SERVICE SHAPES THE FOUNDATION

Home holds a special meaning in the Linn household, rooted in years of service and care for others. Stephen Linn spent nearly a decade in the U.S. Army, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, experiences that influenced how he approaches responsibility and structure in everyday life. Military service introduced a steady rhythm that continues to guide his family.

That sense of purpose carries into Stephen’s work today as a Critical Care Registered Nurse, where long shifts demand focus and emotional steadiness. His wife, Leah, balances her role in radiation therapy education with raising their three young children, keeping the household moving through full schedules and changing routines.

After days built around pressure and responsibility, the family looked to their home as a place to slow down. Evenings became a chance to sit close, talk about small moments, and feel the weight of the day lift. The house needed to support that pace, giving the family a setting that feels steady and welcoming.

Creating that feeling became the heart of the transformation. Each decision centered on easing daily life, bringing comfort into ordinary moments, and building a home that supports the family in the same quiet way they support others.

A Home Designed With Purpose

SERVICE SHAPES THE FOUNDATION

This season, Military Makeover deepens its mission through its partnership with Purple Heart Homes, the show’s official nonprofit partner and a vital part of how these transformations impact families long after construction ends. Founded by combat wounded veterans, the organization brings a rare understanding of what service leaves behind, both visible and unseen, and what a home needs to offer in response.

Purple Heart Homes approaches each project with the belief that stability begins at home. Their work centers on safety, access, and long-term livability, guided by the realities veterans face every day. That commitment extends far beyond individual households. In recent years, their teams have spent more than two years supporting long term recovery efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, helping dozens of veteran families rebuild while contributing to community projects that reached hundreds more. It is a model built on presence, patience, and follow through.

For the Linn family, that same care arrived at a moment when steadiness mattered. Each improvement to their home was made with durability and daily life in mind, with attention to how space supports rest, recovery, and the rhythm of raising young children. The focus stayed on what would last, what would ease the weight of long days, and what would allow the Linn home to grow with their family.

This work unfolded through the hands of volunteers, partners, and neighbors who gave their time and skills with purpose. Each contribution became part of a larger effort rooted in respect and shared responsibility.

At its core, this partnership reflects a simple truth. Service does not end when a uniform is folded away. It continues through organizations like Purple Heart Homes, through communities that show up, and through families like the Linns who carry that legacy forward. Their home now stands as a place strengthened by that care, built to support the life they lead today and the years still ahead.

FLEXIBLE WORK & FAMILY SPACE

As the Linn family balances demanding schedules and life with three young children, flexibility within the home became essential. Rather than creating a formal office, the design focused on incorporating a space that could adapt easily to work, family needs, and everyday routines.

Thoughtfully integrated into the lower level, this area provides a quiet place for focus while remaining connected to the rest of the home. Support from Western Governors University (WGU) helped enhance this flexible workspace, providing tools and resources that allow the space to function seamlessly for productivity, planning, and everyday tasks. It supports moments of productivity without feeling separate or isolated, an important consideration for a family whose days often shift between professional responsibilities and time together.

Designed to serve multiple purposes, the space reflects the realities of modern family life. Whether used for work, planning, or quiet moments during the day, it offers function without rigidity. By prioritizing flexibility over formality, the Linn home now includes a space that evolves alongside the family, supporting both work and togetherness with ease.

LIVING ROOM

The living room was reimagined as a space built for real life, a place where the family can gather, unwind, and move easily through the day. As the heart of the Linn home, the room needed to feel open and comfortable while keeping pace with the energy of three young children and the quiet moments that follow long days.

A soft palette of Benjamin Moore’s Pale Oak sets a calm foundation, applied by Mick Bigwood and his team at Bigwood’s Custom Painting to carry warmth throughout the space. Donated seating from Staiano Furniture anchors the room, layered with simple pillows and a checkered rug that add texture without visual weight. Light filters gently through new curtains, while a floor lamp brings a soft glow in the evenings, allowing the room to shift naturally from day to night.

A teal cabinet introduces color and storage, styled with meaningful pieces gathered from Habitat for Humanity ReStore alongside personal items from the family, including a circular mirror and framed touches that keep the space feeling lived in. Behind it all, a wall of reclaimed barn wood, donated by a local sawmill, adds depth and character, grounding the room in something lasting and familiar.

New flooring from Empire Today ties everything together, giving the space a durable base that supports daily movement while maintaining a sense of ease. The result is a living room that feels settled and welcoming, designed for conversation, quiet evenings, and the comfort of being home together.

Durable materials and practical furnishings were chosen with the Linn family’s routine in mind, shaped by busy mornings, school schedules, and quiet nights after long shifts. Comfort and function sit side by side, creating a room where the children can play, Stephen and Leah can pause, and the family can come together at the end of the day. The space reflects how they live now, with room to adjust as their children grow and their lives continue to evolve.

KITCHEN

The kitchen was redesigned as a space that carries the rhythm of the Linn family’s days, where school mornings unfold, meals come together between long shifts, and small conversations happen without planning them. With three young children and full schedules, the room needed to feel open and steady, practical without losing its warmth.

A new layout and donated cabinetry allow the space to move easily into the surrounding rooms, keeping family life

Quartz countertops provide a durable surface for daily use, paired with a donated sink and faucet that blend function with quiet simplicity. Appliances from Rogers Appliances, a family-owned shop, bring reliability and care into the heart of the home, chosen with the same thoughtfulness given to every other detail.

The design leans into a softened cottage-inspired style, balanced with wood tones, subtle steel accents, and clean lines that reflect Stephen’s preference for grounded, unfussy spaces. The goal stayed clear throughout the process, to create character without visual clutter, warmth without excess, and order that eases the mind at the end of demanding days.

Nearby, a dining area furnished with donated chairs from Staiano and a table and bench from Habitat offers a place for shared meals and homework spread across the surface. Small touches, including simple curtains, dried goods, and a bottle vase gathered through community partners, add life without crowding the room.

The kitchen was designed around how the Linn family moves through each day, guided by shared meals, small conversations that happen without planning, and the steady comfort of being together in one place. Throughout the process, the family remained part of the story. Notes written to Leah and Stephen were shared across design boards, messages arrived from loved ones near and far, and even Military Makeover designer Jen Bertrand added her own words of encouragement. The space reflects the people who live in it, created to hold their routines, their closeness, and the life continuing to grow inside their home.

LOWER-LEVEL FAMILY SPACE

The lower level of the Linn home was redesigned as a flexible family space built to keep pace with everyday life. With three young children (and a fourth on the way!), the room needed to feel comfortable and durable while shifting easily between play, rest, and time together.

The layout allows the space to support active moments and quieter ones without feeling crowded or fixed to a single purpose. New flooring grounds the room with a surface made to handle constant motion, while updated lighting from Lowe’s softens the space and brings warmth into an area once overlooked. Practical finishes support daily use, giving the family a place that feels open, easy to move through, and ready for whatever the day holds.

Giving Back Through Service & Community

SERVICE BEYOND THE UNIFORM

Service sits at the center of the Linn family’s life. Stephen Linn carried it through his years in the U.S. Army and into his work today as a Critical Care Registered Nurse, where caring for others continues to guide his days. Leaving the military brought a new chapter, though the purpose stayed the same, expressed through steady leadership and presence in his community.

That same spirit lives inside this home transformation. Support arrived during a season that asked a great deal of the family, offering stability when daily life required strength and patience. As

Stephen manages the lasting effects of service while caring for patients and returning home to young children, a space designed to ease the weight of each day became essential.

This image captures that sense of care and shared effort. It shows the partnership behind the work, bringing together Military Makeover, Purple Heart Homes, and a community that chose to step forward with intention. In a single frame, the transformation becomes personal, defined by hands, commitment and the belief that service continues through connection and showing up for one another.

Through its partnership with Purple Heart Homes, Military Makeover was able to extend its impact beyond renovation, connecting the Linn family with an organization dedicated to improving the lives of veterans and their families. Founded by combat-wounded veterans, Purple Heart Homes focuses on creating safe, functional, and supportive living environments that address real, everyday needs.

For the Linn family, this partnership arrived at a meaningful time. Each improvement to the home was made with deliberate care, prioritizing comfort, durability, and long-term livability. The work went beyond aesthetics, focusing instead on how a home can actively support stability, comfort, and family life.

This transformation was made possible through the collective effort of volunteers, partners, and community members who came together in service of the Linn family. Early support from Junk King helped clear the space for transformation, allowing the home’s next chapter to begin with a clean foundation. Every contribution played a role in creating a home designed to last, one that reflects care, respect, and shared responsibility.

At its heart, this project is a reminder that giving back does not end when the uniform comes off. It continues through community, connection, and collective action. For the Linn family, this support has helped create a home that honors the past, supports the present, and strengthens the foundation for the future.

BACKYARD

The backyard was reimagined as an extension of the Linn family’s daily life, a place where time slows and being together happens without planning it. With their shared love for the outdoors, the space needed to support both rest and movement, offering comfort while leaving room for noise, play, and long afternoons that stretch into evening.

Paths and gathering areas formed with pavers from Pavestone give the yard structure and durability, creating a foundation that holds up to everyday use. At the center of it all sits a new playground from Adventure World Play Sets, a gift that changes how the family experiences their home. Benches built by volunteers line the space, a fire pit set in Pavestone stonework brings everyone closer as the light fades, and rubber mulch and surrounding stone from the playground team make the area safe and easy for small feet. Fresh seeding, planters, and new mulch from local landscapers soften the edges, adding life where the yard once stood quiet.

This space brings something new into the family’s routine. The children have room to move freely, parents have a place to sit nearby, and evenings feel less rushed when the day can end outdoors. Over time, these moments become part of how the family remembers this season of life, giving the Linns a setting that holds their everyday experiences beyond the walls of their house.