Verellen Named Platinum Sponsor for Future Designers Summit

Furniture World News Desk on 7/17/2023

Students visit Verellen at the company’s High Point-based operations during last fall’s Future Designers Summit.

The Bienenstock Furniture Library announces upholstery specialist Verellen is its Platinum sponsor for the third annual Future Designers Summit, with a contribution of $20,000 that includes a new student scholarship award of $5,000.

The Future Designers Summit is an immersive educational experience conceived and organized by the library for nurturing the next generation of industry professionals in fields ranging from furniture and industrial design to interior architecture and merchandising.

Following a competitive applications review earlier this year, 40 students from universities and colleges across the U.S. will attend this fall’s three-day event, September 20-22, featuring inspirational keynote speakers, a dynamic panel discussion led by industry professionals, in-depth facility tours, and opportunities to earn one of three $5,000 scholarship awards. 

During last year’s program, Verellen hosted students for a facilities tour at its High Point-based operations, where CEO Tom Verellen recognized that further investment in Future Designers Summit offers potential for greater, long-term yield.

“Today’s design students will shape what comes next,” says Verellen, who relocated to High Point from Belgium 30 years ago with his wife and company co-owner, Sabine, establishing their upscale custom upholstery business in the nexus of the furniture industry. “To endure as a furnishings resource, we have to think ahead to future generations and how the needs of our customer base will change.”

Appending Verellen’s Platinum sponsorship is a $10,000 contribution from a recurring Gold sponsor, The Earl and Kathryn Congdon Foundation.

Silver sponsors include The Broyhill Family Foundation, contributing a $5,000 scholarship for a third consecutive year, and J Black Design, which established The John Black Scholarship in 2022, contributing a $5,000 scholarship in honor of the late furniture designer John Black.

“Sponsorships are critical for funding student participation and awards, and the addition of a third scholarship in our program’s third year is an exciting development,” says Karla Jones, Executive Director, Bienenstock Furniture Library. “We’re grateful to Verellen and to all our sponsors for their generous support of this industry-forward student initiative.”

Additional contributors for the 2023 Bienenstock Future Designers Summit include Century Furniture/Rock House Farm Family of Brands, Furniture World, the International Furniture Designers Assn. (IFDA) Educational Foundation, Universal Furniture, Barbour Spangle Design, Patti Carpenter, Davis Furniture, High Point by Design (HPxD), Kara Cox Interiors, Kravet Inc., Tomlinson/Erwin Lambeth, Lancaster, Leggett & Platt, Libby Langdon Interiors, Nancy Fire Designs, Norwalk Furniture, Otto and Moore, Inc, Anthony and Jonathan Parks Phillips, Phillips Collection, Port 68, Savour Partnership, Stickley Furniture, Superior Construction and Design, Thayer Coggin, Unique Loom, and WorkTheBrand PR.

To learn more about the program, or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, visit the Future Designers Summit page located on the Bienenstock Furniture Library website, or write to Karla Jones at executive-director@furniturelibrary.com.

About the 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, with more than 5,000 volumes.

The Library is located in High Point, NC and is open to members of the home furnishings industry, students and the general public. The Library was founded in 1970 with an endowment from Furniture World Magazine and the Bienenstock family. It is supported by a board of directors from nearly every facet of the home furnishings industry. It is devoted to the advancement of knowledge about design, furniture, interiors, architecture, textiles, finishes, and constructions.

The Library's rare book collection contains volumes published since 1543. A special climate-controlled room houses these rare volumes. It is a treasure trove of inspiration for anyone interested in home furnishings and interior design.  

The Library's facilities include the Vuncannon Seminar Room, the high-tech Hadley Court Center for Design Collaboration and the Pat Plaxico Sculpture Gardens.  These areas are available for seminars, classes, events, meetings, design collaborations, networking and design retreats for a small honorarium.

For more information visit www.furniturelibrary.com or contact Karla Webb, Library Director at info@furniturelibrary.com or 336-883-4011.