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Women In Design: Beautifully Complex
A special SDC event in honor of International Women's Day.
Join us on March 5, 2026 for an inspiring International Women’s Day gathering at the Seattle Design Center. Women in Design: Beautifully Complex explores the layered intelligence, creativity, and leadership women bring to the design industry. This year’s program moves beyond conversation and into evidence, insight, and lived expertise, highlighting how women shape not only spaces, but the way people experience and move through the world.
The afternoon begins with Sherwin-Williams Designer Account Executive Mariah Hebenthal, who will reveal how color influences emotion, energy, and human connection from the moment someone enters a space. From grounding neutrals to expressive signature hues, Mariah will demonstrate how thoughtful color selection becomes one of the most powerful tools in a designer’s arsenal.
We then welcome Anna Popov, Founder of Interiors by Popov, for a fascinating keynote on neuroaesthetics and the science behind beauty. Through real-world examples and emerging research, Anna reframes designers as nervous-system designers, demonstrating how interiors influence emotion, wellbeing, and attention in profound ways.
The program concludes with a dynamic panel discussion moderated by Nicole Martin, Director of Education and Community Outreach at Woodpecker. Together, our speakers will explore leadership, mentorship, and the beautifully complex elements that define success in design today, followed by audience Q & A and a celebratory happy hour.
We invite you to gather, learn, and celebrate the women shaping the future of our industry.
Agenda
02:00 PM - 02:20 PM
Arrival & Check-In
02:20 PM - 02:50 PM
The Emotional Power of Color: Designing Spaces That Feel
Mariah Hebenthal, Sherwin-Williams
Experience how color can instantly shape emotion, energy, and connection the moment someone enters a space. In this inspiring session, Sherwin-Williams Designer Account Executive and local color expert Mariah Hebenthal reveals how thoughtful color choices transform not just a room, but the way people feel and live within it. From grounding neutrals like Universal Khaki to expressive signature hues like her beloved luxe purples, Mariah shows how color can become one of the most powerful design tools for creating meaningful, memorable environments.
02:50 PM - 03:20 PM
Beauty, The Brain, and the Science of Design
Anna Popov, Interiors by Popov
Beauty is not just “in the eye of the beholder” - it’s in the brain of the beholder. In this keynote, Anna Popov explores the science of neuroaesthetics and what it reveals about the power of interior design to shape human emotion, attention, connection, and wellbeing. Designers have been applying these principles intuitively for decades; neuroscience now gives us language and evidence for why certain spaces feel restorative, inspiring, and memorable. Expect a fascinating, uplifting talk filled with real-world examples reframing interior designers as nervous-system designers and elevating beauty from “extra” to essential.
03:20 PM - 03:30 PM
BREAK
03:30 PM - 04:15 PM
Leading with Depth: The Beautiful Complexity of Women in Design
The program concludes with a dynamic panel discussion moderated by Nicole Martin, Director of Education and Community Outreach at Woodpecker. Together, our speakers will explore leadership, mentorship, and the beautifully complex elements that define success in design today.
04:15 PM - 04:30 PM
Audience Q & A
04:30 PM - 05:00 PM
Champagne Toast & Happy Hour
Event Links
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3508267-0
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3508267-2
