Symposium explores the healing power of beauty and how interior designers can integrate neuroaesthetics and biophilia to enhance wellbeing
February 19, 2025 – High Point, NC Science and design are converging, and it’s transforming the industry. Leading researchers—many from the medical field—are uncovering how design can directly impact physical and mental health, positioning interior and product designers as key facilitators of well-being.
To celebrate this groundbreaking perspective, High Point by Design (HPxD) and Science in Design are co-hosting Designing Wellbeing: Neuroaesthetics, Biophilia, and the Healing Power of Beauty at High Point Market on Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26. Day one of the two-day symposium will showcase innovative research and real-world applications of design’s health-enhancing potential, with Saturday dedicated to showroom tours offering engagement with companies embracing wellness-driven design.
The event features an impressive roster of speakers, including keynote speaker Bill Browning, Managing Partner at Terrapin Bright Green and a leading authority on biophilic design, human productivity, and well-being. This marks Browning’s first visit to High Point Market.
Closing the symposium is the Breakthrough Presentation by acclaimed interior designer Caleb Anderson, Principal at Drake/Anderson and Founder of Well-Designed. Anderson will share why he is taking a stand to bring greater purpose to his luxury firm and why integrating well-being and sustainability into his practice is more important than ever.
Also speaking is Mike Peterson, founder of Science in Design, who has been amplifying this powerful message for years through a curriculum which teaches interior designers about the positive effects of beauty, nature, and fine design on physical and emotional health. “Neuroaesthetics and biophilia are changing the future of design. Science now documents interior design as an ‘alternative health resource.’ Designers will learn why and how at Designing Wellbeing,” he says.
Additional sessions will highlight designers who have successfully incorporated biophilic principles into their work, manufacturers who embrace these concepts, and others. HPxD will announce the final schedule by mid-March.
“We are excited to collaborate to bring fresh, powerful programming to High Point Market. This content elevates our industry and moves it forward, opening up an incredible path of possibility that can benefit all,” says Jane Dagmi, HPxD Managing Director.
The symposium will be held in the seminar space at the Suites at Market Square and will include lunch. Tickets are available through Eventbrite, with early bird pricing (with promo code DWBird) of $149 through March 19, after which prices increase to $179. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Eventbrite.
About High Point by Design
Founded in 2020, High Point x Design (HPxD) is the only organization dedicated to promoting, supporting, and making High Point’s design scene accessible year-round. By uniting the industry’s leading flagship showrooms, brands, makers, and creatives, HPxD fosters a welcoming and forward-looking community that envisions High Point as the destination for design, art, and innovation—every day.
About Science in Design
Science in Design teaches interior designers about the positive effects of beauty, nature and fine design on people’s physical and emotional health. The goal is to help designers use beauty to promote healing, which has been proven by the study of neuroaesthetics and medicine. The mission is to make the design industry see that they can be a source of health and well-being for people.
