by HIGH POINT — A recent High Point Market tradition of kicking off the show with an educational symposium for interior designers and others continues this spring with “Designing Wellbeing: Neuroaesthetics, Biophilia and the Healing Power of Beauty.”
A goal of the event is to demonstrate how the work of interior designers, architects, manufacturers and others who shape the built environment should be considered an alternative health resource because their efforts are so important to people’s wellness, said Mike Peterson, founder of Science in Design.
The two-day symposium will start on Friday, April 25, at the Suites at Market Square and continue on Saturday, April 26, with showroom tours of vendors who embrace the principles underlying the seminar. “Designing Wellbeing” is presented by Science in Design and High Point x Design.
Bill Browning, managing partner of New York-based sustainability consulting firm Terrapin Bright Green and a leading thinker on green building, will lead off the event with a Friday morning keynote, “The Science and Application of Biophilic Design.”
“Bill is a globally recognized speaker on biophilia, renowned for his talks on the profound healing benefits and the essential human need for nature,” Peterson said. “Biophilic design is transforming environments worldwide — hospitals are adopting it to aid patient recovery, corporations are incorporating it in their headquarters to boost creativity and productivity, and residential designers are using it to create spaces that help clients relax and de-stress. This is a significant shift for the design industry.”
On Friday afternoon, Caleb Anderson, co-founder of award-winning New York-based interior design firm Drake/Anderson, will give what event organizers are calling a “breakthrough presentation,” titled “Design With Purpose.” Anderson will share his motivation for shifting the luxury design conversation to include purpose, health and sustainability at its core.
Other talks and panels will include:
+ “Made to Matter” Representatives of several brands, including Phillips Collection, Thompson Traders and Feizy Rugs, will discuss their approach to designing products with well-being in mind.
+ “Immersive Art as a Sanctuary for Well-Being” Using a research-backed approach, Lyn Godley, artist and director of the Philadelphia-based Jefferson Center of Immersive Arts for Health, will show how immersive art installations can reduce stress and enhance emotional health.
+ “Science and Design’s New Value Proposition” The panel will bring together designers Kat Blue, founder of Atlanta-based Blue Lantern Studios; Marie Cloud, founder and principal of Indigo Pruitt Design Studio in Fort Mill, South Carolina; and Erica McLain, founder of McClain by Design in Frisco, Texas; to share their perspectives.
From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jane Dagmi, managing director of HPxD, will lead a showroom hop to demonstrate how leading brands are redefining interiors with neuroaesthetics and biophilia.
“This is an exclusive event that blends cutting-edge science, creativity and wellness,” Peterson said, “… tailored to “interior designers, product innovators, retailers, real estate developers and other business professionals who shape the built environment.”
