Guest Blog: CallMeAmy's #IdealHotspot

We understand the importance of keeping your house warm and snug in winter, cosy nights around the fire, or warm and hearty meals around the dining table. We all have our different ways of dealing with the cold, which is why we've asked 6 bloggers to tell us how they make their rooms into their #IdealHotspot ready for winter.

Follow their advice or take influence to get make your very own #IdealHotspot in your home.

Our first blogger is Call Me Amy, and you can read below about her thoughts on winter and her #IdealHotspot, or head over to her blog to find out more!

I think I'm just about getting used to the idea of Autumn. This summer was a difficult one to say goodbye to, especially as it seemed to disappear so quickly, but the idea of snug nights in and all the knitwear is starting to make me feel the tiniest bit excited. 

Throughout Autumn, the HEY Bloggers founders (myself, Emma, Ashton, Violet, Jenny and Alex) will each be sharing a room in our house that we've made seasonal updates to, a room that becomes a 'hotspot' for us during the colder months, in collaboration with Ideal Boilers. This is not a sponsored post, but some of the items featured have been purchased with a voucher provided by the lovely team at Ideal Boilers. 

When you think of making a room snug for the colder months, the kitchen isn't a room that would immediately spring to mind. Maybe you think of your warm living room or the bed you never want to leave on those cold mornings. 

However, as our kitchen doubles up as a dining room, we really do spend a lot of time in there. I eat my breakfast in there everyday and when Nick and I do have a rare meal time together (#shiftworklife) we always eat at the table (not because we're traditional, but because I don't trust Nick to not spill on the sofa).

I also love playing host and we had a fair few BBQs over summer; with it being a bit too cold for those now I thought what better way to welcome the cold weather than making sure our kitchen is equipped to host throughout autumn and winter too. Without further ado, this is how I'm making our kitchen into our hotspot:  

ATMOSPHERE  |  Nothing says autumn to me more than candles and fairy lights because they add such an atmosphere of warmth to a room. I picked up these fairy lights* from Wilko's and they look so cute hung round our mirror, but for dinner parties (lol I say dinner parties trying to sound sophisticated, I basically mean having friends over for lasagne) they make such a good table decoration. I have candles burning in every room throughout autumn and winter and the kitchen is no exception. Yankee Candle are a long term favourite of mine and they've just launched a new range called Just Go,* inspired by travel and allowing us to take our summer memories into autumn with us! My favourite is misty mountains; it smells super fresh and rids the kitchen of any pesky food smells in no time.

WARMTH  |  Moving on from an atmosphere of warmth to actual warmth...put the heating on! I jest, I'm sure you don't need a blog post to tell you to put your heating on. I'm talking about blankets and throws because they don't just have to be for the bed or the sofa. I personally love a throw* over the back of my dining room chairs that I can make use of if I'm feeling a little chilly. They also just look nice and add a little summin' summin' don't they?

THE TABLE  |   In the lead up to Christmas (I'm sorry, I know, I said the 'C' word) I always feel more in the mood for making my table look aesthetically pleasing (sorry for using the phrase aesthetically pleasing, but I find it a very aesthetically pleasing phrase). I think it's probably down to all the home magazines/interior shops showing off Christmas table displays, but isn't it funny how making your table look nice makes for a more enjoyable meal? This set up is certainly preferable to the jumble of junk mail/keys/screwdrivers that usually graces our kitchen table. I'm obsessed with wood at the moment, which is handy because Nick has just started making real wooden chopping boards so I'll be displaying food on those and on this slate one* I picked up in Wilko's.

*gifted items

Which room in your house is your #IdealHotspot?

Tell us about your #IdealHotspot on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

Remember to tag @IdealBoilers @CallMeAmyE and #IdealHotspot!