Snug as a Pug in front of the wood burning stove of his dreams
We have been renovating our home for the past 18 months and there’s been one thing on our minds the entire time. Ever since we visited a holiday let in Cornwall five years ago, we have obsessed over the wood burning stove that sat centre stage there.
After many years of settling with an old fashioned, ineffective stove we inherited with the house, we now have our dream burner of our own and we couldn’t be happier.
Obviously, aesthetics are important, but we knew we wanted a stove built to last, that our four dogs will curl up in front of, keeping their aging joints warm whilst having the most calming and relaxing effect on our entire household. As a dog mad household we are all homebodies and would much rather unwind in our space than be out and about, so we figured installing our dream wood burning stove was well worth the investment.
After lots of research, we soon realised a HWAM stove was the right choice for us. We wanted something that was stylish with a big impact, easy to operate, built to a high standard, cost effective on firewood consumption and as environmentally friendly as possible. The HWAM range ticked every box and more and we are thrilled to show you how it looks in our barn conversion!
Once we demolished our old inglenook, we realised that the existing chimney was at an awkward position for the lay out of the room, so with the help of some professionals, we closed the chimney and repaired the ceiling. We continued with plastering walls, levelling and laying new floors before we finally had a vision. This is when we headed to a certified HWAM showroom, The Fireplace In east Sussex. These guys know their stuff, with over 25 years’ experience providing bespoke heating and outdoor living solutions, their stunning showroom gave us the chance to view a wide range of HWAM wood burning stoves, so we could get a feel for what shape, size and style would suit us the most. The team were so knowledgeable and helped us to finalise some design features we were unsure of, such as where the new flue would go, the right hearth for us and any changes we would need to make depending on the Stove we selected.
After much deliberation, we chose the HWAM 3120c wood burning stove in black with the black style handle along with a black twin wall insulated flue pipe to run from the top of the appliance, through the room above and out of the roof.
We selected a quadrant shaped honed granite hearth which complimented both our home and our new burner perfectly.
After a site visit from the lovely team at The Fireplace, who measured everything up, we were then ready to rock and roll!
Everything was ordered and dealt with by the Fireplace team and our installer was super friendly, professional and efficient, not to mention immaculate when working, and once he had packed up and left there wasn’t a speck of dust left for us to clean.
All in all, it was an exceptional service, and I couldn’t fault any part of the process even if I tried. Before install I was daunted by the work, but it took a day, and it was honestly a breeze.
We were taught the ‘upside down’ lighting method for our new stove as this is what is recommended by HWAM, and we have adopted this ever since as its super quick and effective. Simply lay two kiln dried logs underneath a grid of kindling, with two natural firelighters on top and light it. It really is that simple!
The fire is instantly inviting and our HWAM stove is the missing piece of the puzzle in our home. Not only does it look incredible, but the heat it generates is unbelievable and makes our whole house feel toasty warm and cosy.
The HWAM 3120c in black was always our first choice as it sits in the corner beautifully and the curved glass door allows us to watch the flames and feel the benefit no matter where you are sat in the room.
Now I couldn’t talk about our Danish designed HWAM stove without mentioning the HWAM Autopilot™, an incredible design feature that ensures excellent combustion – for the benefit of the environment and your firewood consumption without any manual regulation of the air supply. Thanks to a clever bimetal spring, the air supply to the combustion chamber is automatically adjusted to get the most heat out of your firewood. The bimetal spring expands or contracts, depending on the temperature of the combustion chamber, regulating the dampers so that the fire is supplied with the right amount of air. In layman’s terms, this means that once the fire is lit, we don’t have to worry about a thing as it automatically adjusts itself to keep the fire burning, optimising the heat output, so we can relax and bask in all its stylish, gorgeous glory!
All HWAM stoves are equipped with HWAM® Autopilot ™ as standard.
Watch the video on the benefits of HWAM® Autopilot™ here:
The stove is very low maintenance and since being fitted over two weeks ago, we have only had to empty the ash compartment once. Weirdly, the glass seems to stay pristine, and we haven’t had to clean it yet! I’m so utterly obsessed with my HWAM wood burner as I’m swept away watching the flames dance around, in a state of warmth and relaxation! Suddenly movie nights seem less appealing as all I want to do is lounge by the flames with dogs and a hot chocolate!
If you are followers already, I’m sure you will have seen lots of videos and photos of us and the pooches enjoying our new HWAM wood burning stove already. The dogs have never been happier or more content and once they hear us loading up the logs each evening, they race inside to get the best spot on their sheepskin which is perfectly placed right in front! Pops and Puggy who are our most senior dogs are already feeling the benefits on their aging bones, and the dogs all seem happier, they are sleeping more soundly and have a skip in their step!
The phrase ‘it’s a dog’s life’ has never been so apt, and I’m so proud to give them our dream log burner after all the years of fantasising about one for our little four-legged family! It’s the simple things that matter, and this stove brings us all together after a busy day and helps us to reconnect and unwind in the most beautiful, peaceful way.
If you’re looking to install a wood burning stove into your home, or to update/upgrade your current set up, then I strongly urge you check out HWAM. We are over the moon with our Danish beauty standing proud in our living room, and there really is nothing better than returning from an autumnal dog walk and warming up by the fire. I’m excited to host guests and show it off and even more excited for the festive season with our new cosy space!
I never thought I’d say it, but bring on Winter, because I’m SO ready to be Snug as a pug!
To find out more visit www.HWAM.com
