Arlington Handyman: My Trip to Merritt Island & the 2016 HGTV Dream Home

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

My Trip to Merritt Island & the 2016 HGTV Dream Home

*Email subscribers: I apologize for the wonky email you received this morning. There were some issues with my email feed but I do believe that is fixed now. Thanks for understanding!*

Note: This post is photo-heavy!

I was recently invited by Delta Faucet to go on an all-expenses paid trip to Merritt Island, Florida, to tour the 2016 HGTV Dream Home. After pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, I quickly said yes and hopped on a plane before they had a chance to change their minds. This was my first time leaving Jonah overnight, but he was in good hands with Chris and my in-laws who came to town to help out. I arrived on Wednesday with nothing on the schedule for the day, so I headed to my beach-front hotel in Melbourne, FL, and lounged on the beach while I waited for my room to be ready.

Have you ever experienced something and thought, “Wow, God knew exactly what I needed even though I didn’t know I needed it”? As I sat alone on a perfectly peaceful, empty beach, I realized I needed this little break more than I knew. Of course the mom guilt quickly followed, but the truth is I haven’t slept a full night since I can’t even remember when. I have been trying to juggle blogging (which has become a full-time job, albeit one that I absolutely love) with motherhood and never mind the fact that I can’t even begin to keep our house clean and I’m lucky to have dinner on the table each night; and I was becoming overwhelmed. I needed a break but I was too busy to even realize it. I sat down on this beautiful beach, all alone on a beautiful, warm, sunny day and just got teary-eyed thinking about how thankful I was for this experience. I missed my family so much, but I knew that I needed to recharge and return to them better than I was before.

On Thursday morning, I met up with Jennifer from Dear Lillie, Janet from Shabbyfufu, and Jolyn (our PR contact for Delta Faucet), in the hotel lobby. We headed out on an adventure — our first outing was a helicopter tour of Merritt Island. I was a little bit terrified at the idea at first, but I quickly decided that stepping out of my comfort zone and having fun was what this trip was all about, so I was excited to try something new.

If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend this company! Our pilot was so nice and accommodating and made us feel safe and comfortable.

The views were awesome, even though the weather wasn’t great.

After the helicopter ride, we picked up Paula (from Delta Faucet) at our hotel and went out to lunch. Then, it was on to the HGTV Dream Home!

The home was designed by my friend Brian Patrick Flynn. (We met a couple years ago when we worked together on a Dwell with Dignity project.) He did an amazing job! Plus it’s always fun to hang out with him since he is completely hilarious and entertaining. One thing that I thought was interesting about this particular Dream Home is that it’s the first time they’ve ever remodeled an existing home. All of the past Dream Homes have been new construction. They did pretty much rebuild most of this one, so the before & afters are pretty dramatic. You can check those out here.

When you arrive at the Dream Home, there is a beautiful, long, tree-lined driveway leading up to the property. The trees provide plenty of privacy, and the grounds are beautifully landscaped. Here I am with the other bloggers, Jennifer and Janet.

When you enter the house, you find yourself in the open concept living room, and you are instantly greeted by a gorgeous view out the wall of windows directly ahead.

One of my favorite features is this amazing black and white photo wall made from a vintage 1970s surfing photo.

The kitchen is gorgeous, with two-toned cabinets, a huge island with a beautiful champagne bronze Delta faucet, and a full wall of tile.

The media room downstairs would make an amazing mom cave. I love the vibrant colors and how the art makes everything feel collected over time.

Here I am with the other bloggers and Brian Patrick Flynn in the downstairs blue bedroom.

The other downstairs bedroom is the only one without sweeping outdoor views. The tangerine color scheme is fun though.

The master suite takes up the entire upstairs, and it’s beautiful. The views are amazing and the master bathroom is a showstopper.

The back yard is situated on the Indian River and it’s breathtaking! (Random Sidenote: The Indian River is brackish water — a mix of salt water and fresh water — and I’m told that Bull Sharks are the only type of shark that can survive in it.)

The home even comes with its own dog house, which is a miniature replica of the Dream Home.

There are so many more amazing details I would love to show you since I took a eleventy billion photos, but this post would just go on for an eternity, so you can hop over to HGTV and check out more pics. The sweepstakes starts Dec. 29 so be sure to enter to win! Thanks again so much to Delta Faucet for making this amazing trip possible.

I’d love to know, which room is your favorite?

If you’re new here, I would love it if you would consider subscribing.

You can also connect with me here: