For the last episode of 2024, Kate and Jenny take you through their ultimate Christmas gift guide

Best homewares / interiors gift we got

• Joseph Joseph nesting bowls
• Prints / artwork / framed photography
• Dried flowers (thecrate.ie)
• Anything with a gift receipt!
• Cheeseboards (personalised - check out slated.ie)
• Serving platters
• Plants
• La Boule - Villeroy & Boch
• Throw - McNutt of Donegal
• Hugo Byrne knives 
• Móinéir - Wicklow Way Wines - Irish fruit wines
• Sheepskin slippers - Irish Hide Designs
• Coffee table books - soho house, rose Uniacke, assouline, Monocle
• Candles - Sines
• Glassware-classic styles - Ferm Living
• Cocktail stuff
• High quality spirits
• Restaurant vouchers
• Plants
• Sines-candle holder
• Marble serving board
• Fancy S&P grinders
• Le Creuset
• Custom calendar
• Flower subscription/house plant 
• Bougie hand soap - Aesop, Meraki 
• Fancy versions of board games - HAY
• Candles
  • Somas
  • La Bougie
  • Sines (refillable)
• Sustainable shopping
  • Second hand
  • Consumables (food / candles / plants)
  • Locally made
  • Local restaurant / business vouchers
• DIY gifts
  • Anything baked
  • Cookie jars (layer the dry ingredients for cookies in a jar and write the recipes)
  • Hand scrub (dried coffee grounds, caster sugar, oil)

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Follow us on Instagram - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

We don't want to cause any panic, but it is nearly time to start thinking about Christmas. So here are all of our top tips for Christmas decorations, from the beautiful and chic to the gaudy and fun; from the DIY to the sustainable to the slightly more outlandish, we've got you covered.

Items mentioned:

• Flat Christmas trees - zig zag garland on wall using Command Hooks
• Wooden Christmas Trees - from Mon Sapin Woody (monsapinwoody.fr)
• Dried fruit as decorations
• Eucalyptus garland
• Honeycomb paper balls
• Window stickers and chalk pens for window decorations
• Rockett St George for fun Christmas decor (rockettstgeorge.co.uk)
• Rustins spray paint in matte hessian for DIY baubles
• Warm fairy lights
• Disco ball fairy lights from Flying Tiger
• Hall of baubles - hang from ceiling with clear Command Hooks
• Splitter / transformer with multiple sockets to centrally control lights
• Vondels Christmas ornaments stocked at April and the Bear (aprilandthebear.com)
• DIY cookie jars - layer the dry ingredients for cookies into glass jars and write the recipe on a pretty tag
• Risk of botulism from home-made chilli oil
• Handbag hooks to hang stockings
• @foxnestfood on instagram - flavoured butters
• No Messin Mince Pies

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Follow us on Instagram - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

In this episode, Kate and Jenny pull back the curtains (literally) to talk all things window dressings, from sleek blinds to cosy curtains.

Items mentioned:

• Roman blinds
• Emma J Shipley
• Hilja (ikea voile fabric)
• Lille - avoid
• Net curtain wire
• Cafe curtains
• Passementerie trim
• Pinch peat
• Recessed tracks
• Motorised tracks
• Switchbot - solar powered motor for opening and closing curtains and blinds
• Harry Corry for curtain rails
• The Fabric Outlet, Newbridge, Kildare

Support the show

Follow us on Instagram - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

For this special live episode, Kate and Jenny are interviewed by the fabulous Jo Linehan from GAFF Interiors live onstage at the ideal home show in Dublin in October, 2024.

There is a little bit of background noise, but if you weren't able to make it in person then we hope you enjoy this live recording! Special shout out to Rowan for making it possible.

Support the show

Follow us on Instagram - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

Maybe you are in a short-term rental or maybe you are living in your home before you renovate it. Either way, this episode is all about quick fixes that you can implement easily and without breaking the bank to make your home feel a little bit more comfortable while you're there.

Items mentioned:

• Tension rods for temporary curtains
• Voile curtains - lightweight - Ikea Hilja
• Window insulation film
• Brush strips
• Draft excluder
• Foil balloons for chimneys
• Contact paper / vinyl wrap
• Window film - reeded or frosted for privacy
• Decals for tiles 
• Command hooks
• Elfa wardrobe system
• VanDel - removal and delivery company
• Plug-in oil-filled radiators 

Simple quick fixes:

• Rugs
• Cushions
• Throws
• Baskets
• Plants
• Lamps and lampshades 
• Prints

Support the show

Follow us on Instagram - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

You spend a third of your life in bed, so getting the right one is important! In this episode, Kate and Jenny take you through everything you need to know about picking your perfect bed, your perfect mattress, and your perfect sleep set-up.

Items mentioned:

• Get Laid Beds
• Made.com
• MLILY
• Your Sleep Number Beds
• Moebe
• Ottoman Bed
• Tempur
• Memory Foam Mattresses
• Pocket Spring Mattresses
• Slat caps

Support the show

Follow us on Instagram - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

This episode is all about Kate and Jenny's favourite household gadgets and gizmos. We had a lot to talk about here so there will be another follow-on episode soon!

Items mentioned:

KITCHEN GADGETS

• Rice cooker 
• Waffle iron
• Coffee Machine - Ninja
• Stand mixer - pasta attachments and ice-cream maker - Jenny has the Kitchen Aid and Kate has the KMix.
• Thermomix
• Tortilla warmer
• Air fryer - with rotisserie
• Slushie maker - Ninja (for frozen margaritas!)
• Multifunction/steam oven - steamer, sous vide, proving drawer, self-cleaning - we both have AEG ovens
• Combi-oven - oven, grill, microwave - we both have AEG
• Split-oven - Samsung Dual Cook
• Drawer fridge on island - Fisher Paykel
• Split drawer dishwasher - growing trend of 2 dishwashers
• Boiling/Sparkling water tap/carbonator - Grohe, Quooker, Arke, SodaStream
• Downdraft Hob - timer is so useful. Ours is the Bora Pure.
• Ice maker
• Kenwood bread maker

GARDEN GADGETS

• Robot lawnmower
• Sensor lights
• Smart irrigation systems
• Car Charger

HOUSEHOLD GADGETS

• Projectors!! Jenny has the Samsung Freestyle.
• Kärcher window vacuum
• Solar powered fairy lights on timers
• Outdoor lights - motion sensors / sunset sensor
• Electric car chargers
• Motorised blinds and curtains - (curtain driver) - SwitchBot

Support the show

Follow us on Instagram - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

Kate and Jenny are excited to bring you a very special guest - award winning Australian architect Georgina Wilson, founder of Georgina Wilson Associates and  Ask an Architect. Get ready for an absolute goldmine episode, chock-a-block with renovation revelations, and check out askanarchitect.co for more.

For this episode, we are very proud to be sponsored by Floretry. Floretry crafts contemporary floral designs that evoke a connection to the Irish landscape. With a commitment to sustainability, Floretry uses Irish grown flowers to create unique floral styling for weddings, TV, film, and events. If you are planning a wedding, get in touch at floretry.ie and quote "Rip It Up" for a 20 percent discount on their wedding packages.

Support the show

Follow us on Instagram - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

In this episode, Kate and Jenny take you through some key tips for how you can stay on budget during your renovation.

It doesn't have to compromise quality and it doesn't have to compromise aesthetics. But keeping on top of your budget throughout your whole renovation is sure to save you some money in the end.

Items mentioned:
- Jenny's budget tracker is available at jennysheahan.com
- Lefroy Brooks (bathrooms)
- Villeroy & Boch (bathroom)
- Kitchen Aid stand mixer
- First Fix (stage of renovation up to where plaster is put on the walls)
- Gannon & associates landscaping - gannonandassociates.ie
- Bosch tools
- DeWalt tools
- Coloured grout
- Mid-century modern antique phone table
- Paste-the-wall wallpaper
- Easy to clean rugs - polyester, polypropylene, short-pile rugs
- Contact paper to cover countertops
- Subway tiles

Support the show

Follow us on Instagram - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

In today's episode, Kate and Jenny help you to find your interior style. You know what you like and you have pictures, but you're not sure exactly how to pull it all together in your own space. Kate and Jenny will take you through some tips and tricks to get that professional look. 

Topics Referenced

• 7 Principles of Interior Design
• Creating Style Boards
• Canva 
• Google Slides / PowerPoint
• Mad About the House by Kate Watson-Smyth
• The Great Indoors Podcast by Kate Watson-Smyth and Sophie Robinson
• "Something New, Something Old, Something Black, Something Gold" - advice from Kate Watson-Smyth
• Farrow and Ball - Colour Card
• https://coolors.co/ - Colour Palette Generator
• Image Interiors (magazine)
• IHIL - Irish Homes Interiors and Living (magazine)

Support the show

Follow us on Instagram - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines