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By Laura McAlister
Journal Editor
Mulberry Heights is a shop that’s known for timeless antique furniture and accessories that create a calm, warm atmosphere. So it’s not surprising that the same signature style can be found in owner Carolyn Bradford’s Vestavia Hills home.
Carolyn, husband Jim and their three children moved into the house nearly 11 years ago. They quickly made changes to the small, one-level structure, creating a space that would fit the family and their love of cooking and entertaining.
“Pretty much the only thing still standing here from when we bought the house is this fireplace,” said Carolyn, referring to a large brick fireplace in the kitchen. “We added a second story and, later, a covered patio and enlarged the playroom. We like to entertain a lot.”
When the weather is warm, the pool area and covered patio make the perfect spot for guests, but Carolyn and Jim said the area most people always end up in is the kitchen. That’s probably because the kitchen is where Carolyn spends much of her time, according to Jim.
“Everybody stands in the kitchen,” he said. “They all want to be around her. She’s more fun than me.”
The kitchen is designed for someone who loves to cook, and not just the typical family meals. The Bradfords equipped their kitchen with three ovens and two dishwashers, making it ideal for entertaining.
While renovating the house, they also expanded the pantry, opening it to the kitchen, and added a sitting room that leads out to the patio along with a wooden-spiral staircase that leads up to the playroom. Cabinets and a black granite countertop were added in the pantry and are now used as a beverage station during parties.
The nearby laundry room was also expanded and has storage for extra food and dishes while the family is hosting a party.
“The extra space allows us a place to hide the messy stuff, away from our guests,” Carolyn said.
Having her own shop means Carolyn is never short of accessories for a party, and that includes tableware. In fact, her love of tableware and decorating is one of the reasons she opened her store.
For years, Carolyn has been a collector of transferware, a style of ceramic dinnerware that uses transfer printing developed in 18th century England.
The shop’s name comes from the popular mulberry transferware and from the store’s first location, Cahaba Heights. The name stuck, even though Mulberry Heights is now in Mountain Brook.
Throughout the Bradford home are different collections of Carolyn’s transferware. Some she displays in cabinets, and others are hung in collections on the walls. But they’re not just for looks; Carolyn uses many for entertaining as well.
For the fall, her dining room table is set with Woodland by Spode. This collection is brown and white with turkeys. Carolyn said the colors are great for the autumn but added that she’s really starting to prefer her white creamware for its simplicity.
“I have a little corner over here with all my Creamware,” Carolyn said, pointing to a display shelf near the pantry. “It’s just so plain and simple. But of course I do still love the Flora, the brown and white. That was my first pattern.”
She displays the Flora trasnferware, which is more durable and not as delicate as Creamware, in her butler’s pantry. It’s a mulberry type of transferware. Another of her favorites is displayed on the wall in the dining room. It’s a pattern called Lily by Davenport.
In addition to dinnerware, Carolyn also collects napkin rings. On her fall table, she combined antique silver napkin rings, given to her by her mother, with red and orange cloth napkins. The bronze flatware was given to Carolyn by her aunt, who purchased the ornate pieces when she was living in Vietnam.
To complete her table setting, Carolyn placed rustic pumpkins down the center of the table and glass votives filled with arrangements of mums, roses and berries were hung from the antique chandelier over the table.
When it comes to entertaining, Carolyn and Jim want to have as much fun as their guests. The key to that, Carolyn said, is planning.
“You have to start ahead,” she said. “I cook things ahead of time and freeze them if I can. The two days leading up to the party can be crazy, but then I can enjoy myself, too.”
Carolyn also has some go-to recipes to make sure all her guests leave full and happy. Her white chocolate bread pudding is always a hit at their annual Christmas party.
