Bridge For Design Spring 2014 Bridge For Design Spring 2014 Issue | Page 96

DESIGN RESOURCES | furniture

18th century upholstery shop etching from Diderot’s Encyclopedia

among industry design aficionados in recent years. The library
building itself is a renovated mansion that was built in 1923 and
listed as the Grayson House on the National Register of Historic
Places. Efforts are nearly complete to transform the facility into a
state-of-the-art community space for design, research and collaboration. The Vuncannon meeting space is available for classes and
seats up to 35 comfortably. The facility includes a small catering
kitchen with sink, microwave and mini refrigerator for light food
preparation.
Interiors have been renovated with classic architectural fixtures for
modern beauty and function. Leading furniture manufacturers have
donated fine art and iconic furniture pieces. A colossal Plexiglas
reproduction of an 18th century upholstery shop found in Diderot’s
Encyclopedia looks out over the collection that was recently catalogued to Library of Congress classification and is fully searchable
online.
A walk outdoors at the library proves just as inspirational as
its shelves with the newly installed Pat Plaxico Gardens. The gardens
demonstrate the related importance of exterior architecture and
landscape design by offering a serene space with art, sculpture and
an arboretum honouring Pat, a nationally recognised interior
designer and longtime library board member.
Outreach is also a major part of the library’s mission. The library
offers two $10,000 awards annually to interior design and furniture
design students nationwide who compete in and win project design
contests (in collaboration with A.S.I.D. and A.S.F.D.). The library
has awarded more than $375,000 in scholarships since 1984, and
plans to add an additional scholarship in garden and landscape
design in 2015. B

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Heath Combs is a freelance writer for the Furniture and Design Industry
Bienenstock Furniture Library
1009 N. Main Street in High Point, N.C.
Open to the public Monday to Friday
www.furniturelibrary.com
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Bridge for Design Spring 2014