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EDGE34 Plans Neuroaesthetic Presentation for HPMKT
September 20,
2026 by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry 
What if designers could recognize the moments when a project is beginning to unravel — and redirect the experience before tension takes over?
EDGE34 will welcome international neuroaesthetics authority and NeuroDesign Academy faculty member Nicole Baxter back to its High Point showroom on Saturday, October 17 at 4 p.m. for Mapping the Nervous System of a Project, an interactive workshop designed to help designers better understand how they, their clients and their professional partners respond to challenges and stressful situations throughout the design process.
Returning by popular demand following her presentation at EDGE34 during the spring High Point Market, Baxter will take the conversation from theory to practice. Participants will put pen to paper to map the “nervous system” of a project, identifying specific triggers and recognizing the signals that anxiety or reactivity may be building.
From there, Baxter will explore practical strategies for interrupting those patterns before tension escalates, giving designers new tools for navigating challenging moments, strengthening relationships and moving projects toward greater ease, collaboration and ultimately, a more beautiful outcome. Following the workshop, attendees will be able to spend time with Nicole during a Q&A session and informal cocktails following the presentation.
“Nicole has an extraordinary way of connecting what we know intuitively about design and human experience with ideas we can actually put to work,” said Kimberly Spencer, co-founder of EDGE34. “This workshop asks designers to look at the project itself almost as a living system — where pressure builds, how people respond and where a thoughtful intervention can completely change the experience. It is innovative, incredibly relevant and exactly the kind of conversation we want to make room for at EDGE34.”
A Designer Lounge Made for Market
The conversation is only part of what EDGE34 has planned for October.
Throughout High Point Market, designers are invited to make the EDGE34 Designer Lounge at 1700 West Green Drive their home away from the Market crowds — a comfortable place to meet a friend between appointments, gather with colleagues, hold an informal meeting or simply settle in and recharge before heading back out.
Refreshments will be available throughout the day, with complimentary cocktails and light bites beginning at 4 p.m.
The idea is intentionally easy: come for Baxter’s workshop, come to see EDGE34’s sculptural concrete collections or simply come because you need a good place to sit down, reconnect and catch your breath.
“As a year-round part of the High Point design community, we want our showroom to be more than somewhere people visit for product,” Spencer said. “Market is exhilarating, but it is also intense. The Designer Lounge gives people a place to slow the pace for a little while — to have a conversation, meet someone they’ve been trying to catch all day or just enjoy a drink and be still for a minute. We want EDGE34 to feel like one of those places you’re always glad you stopped.”
EDGE34 is located at 1700 West Green Drive in High Point. Guests may take advantage of ample complimentary on-site parking or use the High Point Market Go-Anywhere Shuttle for convenient transportation to the showroom.
Mapping the Nervous System of a Project is open to High Point Market attendees and will be held Saturday, October 17 from 4–5 p.m.