Wellness in Design at ADAC
May 7, 2026
Presented by ADAC
Sponsored by Benjamin Moore, Currey & Company, Interior Design Society Atlanta Chapter, LUXE Interiors + Design, and Schumacher
Discover the Power of Design to Heal, Inspire, and Transform
Join us for Wellness in Design – a one-day immersive experience where design meets well-being in ways you can feel, apply, and take with you.
Blending interior design, architecture, and emerging research, this thoughtfully curated day explores how our surroundings shape our mood, focus, and overall health and how to design with that in mind.
At the center of the conversation are ideas like neuroaesthetics—how our brains and bodies respond to what we see and experience, and biophilia, our natural connection to light, materials, and the outdoors. In simple terms: why certain spaces instantly calm us, energize us, or just feel right—and how to create more of them.
This is more than a series of panels. It’s a full-day experience designed around your own well-being.
Start your morning grounded with a guided sound bath. Move through conversations with top designers and architects sharing how they’re designing for real life, mental health, and resilience. Then close the day with an interactive reception exploring the connection between color, scent, and personal expression.
8:30 AM – 9:10 AM | Welcome & Light Breakfast
Location: Suite 120
Sponsored by Currey & Company and LUXE Interiors + Design
9:15 – 10:00 AM | Sound Bath Meditation: A Centering Experience to Begin the Day
Start your Wellness in Design journey with Currey & Company for a calming Sound Bath Meditation with Chelsea Szegidewicz, designed to ground your senses and awaken your mind for the day ahead. This immersive experience will use sound vibrations to promote deep relaxation and mental clarity, setting a mindful tone for exploring the connection between wellness, design, and neuroaesthetics.
Location: Suite 120
Sponsored by Currey & Company and LUXE Interiors + Design
10:15 – 11:15 AM | The Power of Perspective: How Life Changes Influence the Way We Design
Join LUXE Interiors + Design’s Jennifer Boles, Senior Editor, Southeast and Features, with celebrated designers Tish Mills Kirk and Dana Wolter for an intimate conversation on how real-life experiences shape the way we design—and lead. From creating deeply personal, livable homes to redefining spaces as places of healing and resilience, this panel offers actionable insight into designing with greater purpose in today’s evolving landscape. Walk away with fresh perspective, practical takeaways, and inspiration to create spaces that truly support how we live now.
Location: ADAC Presentation Room
Sponsored by LUXE Interiors + Design
11:30 AM -12:30 PM | Book Signing with Dana Wolter, The Elegance and Comfort of Home + Complimentary Lunch
Following the Luxe Interiors + Design panel, join Dana Wolter at Schumacher as she signs copies of her new book, The Elegance and Comfort of Home. Enjoy a light lunch with you connect with fellow attendees and continue the conversation.
Location: Schumacher, Suite 303
Sponsored by Schumacher and LUXE Interiors + Design
1:00 – 2:00 PM | Designing for the Mind: Architecture, Mental Health & Leading Through Change
Mental health and wellbeing are rising in public awareness, catalyzed by the pandemic, generational shifts, and societal pressures. In this interactive workshop, Emily Schickner, AIA, Principal Architect at Harrison Design, and thought leader, explores the intersection of mental health and architecture. Learn from research on design trends rooted in neurological impact that promotes healthy living and community through design. Learn how to navigate complex challenges with emotional intelligence and creativity through personal storytelling and researched data, Emily will guide the audience through trends, shifts, future-forward thinking, and actions to prepare leaders for a resilient tomorrow and tools to create their own healthy life balance.
Location: ADAC Presentation Room
Sponsored by LUXE Interiors + Design
2:15 – 3:00 PM | Creating Health-Based Design: Beauty, Neuroaesthetics, and Biophilia
Join Mike Peterson for an informative session that will cover the foundational ideas shaping the science-based future of design. Content will include neuroaesthetics, biophilic design, fractal patterning, color, biophilia and its evolutionary roots, marketing science, and more– equipping designers with practical, science-based tools they can apply immediately. Content will feature insights from Johns Hopkins University, the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, Boston Architectural College, University of Texas, University of Oregon, and other leading institutions.
Location: ADAC Presentation Room
Sponsored by IDS Atlanta Chapter and Luxe Interiors + Design
3:15 – 4:30 PM | Applying Neuroaesthetics and Biophilia: Success Stories
Genna Jacobs-Freeman, John Ballentine, and Kat Blue, all Science in Design Certified, will share how the new science, specifically, neuroaesthetics and biophilia, has shaped and expanded their businesses. Mike Peterson will lead the conversation as the designers share how they relate science to clients, include biophilia in their work, how they now design for the primary purpose of creating health, and why science is now distinguishing them from the traditional design firm.
The session will close with a reprise presentation of the first-ever “Creating Health-Based Design: A Virtual Showhouse” launched in April at High Point Market. The showhouse features design processes filtered first through the lens of neuroaesthetics and biophilic design. It’s the only showhouse designed with the sole purpose of creating health.
Location: ADAC Presentation Room
Sponsored by IDS Atlanta Chapter and Luxe Interiors + Design
4:30 – 5:30 PM | The Power of Color & Scent: A Wellness Reception with Benjamin Moore
Unwind and connect as you close out the day with inspiration courtesy of Benjamin Moore. Enjoy a live color analysis and interactive scent demonstration with April Black, The Inner Hue and Urthy, exploring the connection between color, scent, mood, and personal expression.
Network with fellow industry professionals while gaining fresh insight into how color and senses can shape more impactful, wellness-driven spaces.
Location: ADAC Designer Lounge
Sponsored by Benjamin Moore and LUXE Interiors + Design
Whether you joined us last year or are new to the experience, this year’s program goes deeper—more interactive, more personal, and designed to leave you with ideas you can immediately bring into your work and your life.
If you’re ready to design spaces that don’t just look beautiful—but truly feel good—this is a day you won’t want to miss.
Guest tickets are $75 and include a full day of programming, valued at $100+, featuring a sound bath experience, discussions with thought leaders, breakfast + lunch, and an interactive reception with takeaways and a complimentary event gift bag.