Bienenstock Furniture Library Announces Hadley Court Center for Design Collaboration

Furniture World News Desk on 9/25/2014

The Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library announced the creation of a new resource for global design collaboration and education for the furniture industry this week. The Library has completed the Hadley Court Center For Design Collaboration, a new high-tech meeting center on the ground floor of its Main Street library open for use by designers, students, manufacturers, academics and civic/cultural organizations from all over the world. The state of the art equipment allows all participants to connect with anyone, anywhere in the world, to share a collaborative experience via LiveStream video and state of the art audio.The new center will be dedicated at a special talk October 17th at 4pm: Collaboration In Design, being delivered by esteemed international designer, Mary Douglas Drysdale.

Russell Bienenstock, President of the Board of Directors of the library said in his announcement: "It is our intention to make The Furniture Library accessible to anyone who has an interest in design, collaboration and connection regardless of where they live or work. The Hadley Court Center for Design Collaboration is a high tech meeting room that makes this possible.

The Center is intended to be used for moderated events, design meetings, seminars, product launches, Livestream webinars, the Library's new Speaker Series and brainstorming sessions. It can also be used as a satellite meeting room for furniture companies or community groups that need a place to congregate in High Point during or between markets and that need to be in instant visual contact with their national or global customers or internal employees. The Library's director, Karla Teague Webb, has been trained in how to use the Center's state of the art audio and video equipment, making this a seamless and stress free experience for anyone wishing to use the Center."

The Center was made possible by the generous donation of Leslie Hendrix Wood, an interior decorator who resides in Midland, Texas and the founder of the award winning lifestyle and interior design blog, Hadley Court, whose content focuses on designing, celebrating, entertaining, organizing, traveling and giving. Hadley Court won the prestigious Design Bloggers Conference Hall of Fame award for "Best New Design Blog 2013" and was selected by TripAdvisor's sister site, vacation rental portal, FLIPKEY, as one of their Top 25 Home Design Blogs to Follow for 2014.   After visiting the library last Spring and seeing the new Pat Plaxico Sculpture Garden, Leslie decided she wanted to contribute to the growth of the library's mission of being a free international research resource and collaborative meeting environment where books and magazines about the history of furniture and interior design are kept safe and made accessible to future generations.

In making this contribution, Leslie Hendrix Wood noted, "The furniture and design industries are fortunate to have an invaluable resource like the Bienenstock Furniture Library. The Library is an integral part of preserving the history of furniture design for future generations. Hadley Court is honored to be able to be a part of making the library accessible to anyone and offering technology where collaborative efforts can be fostered. She added, "The best designs are practical and come from the heart. What's most important are relationships and new technological tools that have the potential to connect like-minded souls across the world."

Her commitment to community service extends beyond involvement to several nonprofit boards. She has supported and been active as an elder at First Presbyterian Church and has served or is serving on the board of Midland Memorial Hospital, The Hillander School, The George Bush Childhood Home, High Sky Children's Ranch, The Midland Symphony Guild, Big Brother/ Big Sisters and Leadership Midland.

About Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library: The Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library is a worldwide center for research, design, and collaboration. It holds the world's largest collection of rare and significant books on the history and design of furniture and is free to the public. Founded in 1970 and endowed by the Bienenstock family, the Library is devoted the advancement of knowledge about design, furniture, interiors, architecture, textiles, finishes, and constructions.

Located conveniently on Main Street, the library was originally the home of Sandy and Bernice Bienenstock. Called the Grayson House, it was built in 1923 and purchased as the Library headquarters in 1968. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Interiors have been renovated with classic architectural fixtures for modern beauty and function. Over the past year all of the books have been re-cataloged and a comprehensive database of its offerings is now available online.

Significant among Bienenstock Furniture Library's 4,000+ holdings are contemporary acquisitions and an international collection of rare books published since 1640, including complete original works of Chippendale, Sheraton, Hepplewhite, and Diderot's encyclopedia. Most Library services are free.

Bienenstock Furniture Library, located in High Point NC, welcomes professionals and scholars for research, collaboration, meetings, seminars, lectures, and events. You're invited to visit the website at www.furniturelibrary.com. The easiest way to stay up to date on the developments of the library is to "like" its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BienenstockFurnitureLibrary and to reserve the Hadley Court Center for Design Collaboration, please email info@furniturelibrary.com.