With the internet, Instagram and AI, many of us feel like we have access to every bit of information — and all the inspiration — we could ever need, right at our fingertips.
But Karla Jones argues that a trip to a library, specifically the Bienenstock Furniture Library in High Point, can stimulate and educate designers in ways that the devices in our hands never can.
On June 3, the library hosted a garden for more than 70 people to show off its collections, as well as its Grayson House headquarters and Pat Plaxico Gardens.
“We wanted to reach out to industry folks but also community leaders to let them know that we are here,” says Karla Jones, executive director of the nonprofit library. “We’re 55 years old but some people still aren’t quite sure what we do. They’ll drive by the building and say, ‘I’ve never been in there.’”
The library, the largest specializing in furniture in the world, is home to more than 5,000 volumes, including the original works of 18th-century furniture masters Thomas Chippendale, George Hepplewhite and Thomas Sheraton. Its rare book room contains 350 titles, including a book from 1543, and there are 14 languages in the collection.
“All the books that we have in our collection are on interior design, the history of furniture, furniture design, architecture, art, the construction of furniture, textiles, decorative art — anything home furnishings related we have in the collection,” Jones says. “Our tagline here is ‘Touch History … Design the Future.’ Because we really do feel … that the creative minds that it takes to make this industry successful need to look back at history, look back at previous designs, see the evolution of designs and what inspires people. If you educate yourself on the history of furniture and design, you can use that as inspiration to create the future.”
Seeing the library’s collection requires an in-person visit. It isn’t digitized.
“You can Google all day long, sit in your pajamas and look at Chippendale’s (designs) online but it’s a very different experience to come in here and hold the book in your hands from 1754, looking at those engravings and allowing that to be part of the creative process,” Jones says.
She notes that many of the books themselves are works of art and sources of inspiration. “In this industry, it’s all about the pictures,” Jones says. “You might not be able to read Latin, but you’re seeing such beautiful leathers and engravings. And then you open the cover and you get this amazing content.”
But the library has current works, too, including those by interior designers. “We don’t have room for everything new thing that comes out, but we try to have as many current authors as we can,” Jones says. One thing the collection doesn’t include: recent catalogs from furniture manufacturers. The building doesn’t have space, she says, and many companies haven’t been diligent about archiving their own back catalogs as they release new collections.
The next generation of designers
As an educational resource, the Bienenstock Furniture Library is also committed to students. It hosts the Bienenstock Design Competition for college juniors and seniors majoring in home furnishings-related fields, giving away $15,000 in prize money each year. First- and second-place winners are chosen in two categories: interior design (The Barbour Spangle Interior Design Competition) and furniture (The Dudley Moore Sr. Furniture Design Competition).
And each fall, the library hosts the Bienenstock Future Designers Summit for as many as 40 college students. The three-day event includes seminars, showroom tours, mentoring and team building activities, and other events with industry professionals. This year’s summit, set for Sept. 24-26, will feature interior designer Lisa Kahn-Allen of Finding Sanctuary by Lisa Kahn Designs, a firm based in Naples, Florida, among others.
“We’ve had several students who attended the summit who moved to High Point to work after college,” Jones says. “High Point hadn’t even been on their radar before the summit.”
The library is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch.) Appointments are recommended, especially if you want to visit the rare books room.
If you’re making summer travel plans, it may be worth a visit or add it to your schedule when you attend the next High Point Market Oct. 25-29.
