“It’s like going into a theatre, rather than going into a shop,” says Cathy Bullen.
Christmas shopping is something that many people dread – negotiating bustling high streets in search of the perfect presents, it’s a chore to be ticked off their list.
But each year, to give shoppers a festive experience with the wow factor, Cathy and her husband, Peter, transform their home, The Boule-In at Bildeston, into a unique shopping experience.
Designed to capture the magic of a traditional French Christmas, the Fête de Noël which this year opens on November 19 and runs until November 27, sees their house, barns and garden turned into a treasure trove of decorative lifestyle accessories and authentic antiques.
It sounds like pure heaven for fans of the TV show Escape to the Chateau, which follows intrepid couple Angel and Dick Strawbridge’s adventures as they renovate their sprawling French home.
As Cathy explains, the pre-loved and unique pieces that they sell are sourced from French brocantes and dealers.
In fact, she’s speaking to Weekend from Provence where she and Peter are busy scouring markets to pick up antiques and pre-loved curios for this year's Fête de Noël.
They will transport them back to Suffolk and it will take Cathy, Peter and the creative team up to five weeks to set up the event.
The couple has lived in Suffolk for around 30 years.
Peter was in the military and they made their family home in the county when he was stationed at Wattisham.
During a three-year posting in France, where Peter worked as the British Liaison Officer with the French military helicopter School Ecole Franco-Allemand, Cathy discovered the joy of shopping at the brocantes – the French equivalent of a flea market.
“My parents have got a background in antiques and I had a lot of knowledge because of them,” says Cathy.
“When we came back from France three years later, I’d bought so much stuff that Peter wouldn’t let me buy any more unless I promised I’d sell it,” she laughs.
She had the quirky idea of turning their home into a showroom for her finds.
Cathy is a trained ballet dancer and a former teacher at Dance East in Ipswich.
“Because of my theatrical background, I wanted it to be more of a theatre than just a shop with a row of things sitting on the table,” she says. “So we put the garden furniture in the gardens and we put a garden statue among the flowers.
“And it evolved very, very quickly. I think everybody loved it because it was just unusual. So, we went from thinking it was going to be a very quiet thing that I was going to be able to do pottering around and it suddenly boomed,” she says.
They’ve now been doing the events for 10 years.
“We absolutely love it,” says Cathy. “I love all the creativity and Peter likes the practical side of it.”
They have a house in Provence and spend five months of the year sourcing pieces for their events – held in spring and summer as well as at Christmas.
The couple have a long-standing relationships with several antiques dealers in the region and are also regulars at the local brocantes, where they know many of the stallholders.
As Cathy explains, the joy is that you never know what you’re going to find on buying trips – and when it comes to designing the settings for their events, it just takes one piece to spark an idea for a room theme.
“We wait until we see what we’ve found and then we’ve got about five or six different areas which we turn into different themes,” she says.
“It’s like if you’re decorating a room, it may be just one tablecloth or it may be one picture or it may be one vase that you love and then the whole thing is built around that.
“We find the same thing happens with our sets and then we end up building the entire rooms all around that when we’re decorating.
“Because we’ve bought some fantastic kitchen things, we’re going to do a French Christmas kitchen,” she says, giving a tantalising hint of what this year’s event has in store.
And don't miss the authentic 40-figured Provençale Crèche, a traditional French Christmas nativity scene.
With sustainability at the heart of what they do, Cathy loves nothing more than sharing the provenance of the pre-loved items – and sending them on to a new chapter in their story.
“All of our things have a history and also we very much buy with functionality in mind because I want people to use them every day,” she says.
“I’m a huge believer that things are to be used and loved, never shut up in a cupboard for best.
“Antiques, vintage, pre-loved - whatever you want to call our pieces, they’re essentially there to be enjoyed and to enhance your home this Christmas and beyond,” she says.
They also mix in contemporary lifestyle accessories, food and drink and flowers.
Riverside Bulbs will be selling potted amaryllis, Helen Newman Flowers will be showcasing her Christmas wreaths, renowned pâtissier Abi Sarton will have Christmas cakes and hamper provisions to buy and English Spirit will be taking along their East Anglian gins.
Homeware brands Faro and The Rug and Carpet Studio will return with their soft furnishings.
“The thing about it is, is that it’s very different than anything else you’ll go to,” says Cathy. “It is wonderful shopping, but it is also an experience of going there in the first place.”
Fête de Noël is being held at The Boule-in, Bildeston, from Saturday November 19 to Sunday November 27 from 10am-6pm daily with free admission.
A preview event, with admission costing £5 per ticket with proceeds going to charity, will be held on the afternoon of Friday November 18.
A percentage of proceeds from the event will be split between four charities which are important to them: Combat Stress, Macmillan Cancer Support, Bildeston Church Restoration Fund and Suffolk Community Aid, which supports Ukrainian families to settle in East Anglia.
Visit boule-in.co.uk for more information.
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