The Old Haberdashers, Debenham, Suffolk

You know what they say about the moment opportunity comes knocking, but what’s it knocking 

? This week, the answer is a simple white door with four panels, a letterbox and a rectangular fanlight. This is the Old Haberdashers in Debenham, a former shop, an erstwhile bakery, a one-time gallery and now a comfortable home with a commercial space to boot. Currently 

The village of Debenham is itself a treasure – a patchwork of medieval and Tudor buildings that hint at the settlement’s history as a bustling marketplace at the centre of Suffolk’s vigorous wool trade. Built in the late 19

 century, the Old Haberdashers is a relative newcomer, in that respect. Though it isn’t without historic merit, not least in the form of its original shopfront, which overlooks the Grade I-listed 13

-century church of St Mary Magdalene and its market green.

Though no longer strictly a shop, this place’s trading days aren’t over yet. Subtly split into carefully renovated living quarters and a commercial venture (currently used as a private exhibition space with retail classification), the house is a natural foil for beautiful things, as a vicarious whizz-around shows. Set off against walls painted in velvet-soft shades of mouse and dun (thank Edward Bulmer for those), a cache of sculptures, objets and furniture lend the rooms a rich and romantic air, while wall hangings and other fabric fragments bring colour, texture and a neat little nod to the house’s history with textiles.

There are a handful of other rather nifty features to be found here too – albeit those of a somewhat more quotidian nature. An energy-efficient lighting system has been installed, for instance, as well as underfloor heating downstairs, its effect maximised by well-insulated walls and the double glazing that’s been added to the frontage.

Knock knock, you say? No need to ask who’s there.

A Polite Request

Inspiration of the Week: talking shop at the Old Haberdashers in Debenham

Sitting in one of Suffolk’s many fine villages, this former shop, now a live/work space, feels full of possibility