Interior Architecture Newsletter
2026 Program of Interior Architecture Newsletter
Message from the Program Head
Spotlight Stories
Faculty Kudos
Alumni Class Notes
Make a Gift and Alumni Events
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
Message from the Program Head
As we conclude another academic year, I am proud to reflect on the continued growth and momentum of the Interior Architecture program at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design. As an integral part of the Corcoran’s interdisciplinary creative community, IA continues to foster design innovation, professional engagement, and nationally recognized student achievement.
This year, the Corcoran Interior Architecture program was named to Architectural Digest’s list of Top Interior Design Schools, while our students earned significant national and regional recognition through ASID, IIDA, and Metropolis Future100. In the 2026 IIDA Student Design Competition, IA students earned three of the competition’s six national awards for work developed in our graduate Studio 4 healthcare design studio in partnership with Perkins & Will.
We also celebrated the success of our first IA Career Fair, welcomed David Darling, FAIA of Aidlin Darling Design for the 16th Annual Distinguished Designer Lecture, and continued our partnership with IIDA through events hosted at Flagg. This spring, IA is also proudly represented in the Corcoran NEXT Festival through six large-format exhibition boards.
Most encouraging of all has been seeing so many of our graduating students secure positions at leading local, national, and international design firms. Their success reflects the strength of our faculty, alumni, and professional network, and the collaborative spirit that defines the Corcoran community.
Thank you for your continued support of Interior Architecture and the Corcoran. We look forward to another exciting year ahead.
Spotlight Stories
Photo by Maria Toombs
Interior Architecture Welcomes David Darling for Distinguished Designer Lecture
The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design’s Interior Architecture program welcomed David Darling, founding principal of Aidlin Darling Design, for the 16th Annual Distinguished Designer Lecture. His lecture, “Being There,” offered insight into a transdisciplinary architecture practice rooted in the belief that design can improve the human condition by engaging all the senses.
Darling co-founded Aidlin Darling Design with Joshua Aidlin in 1998, developing a practice that spans architecture, interiors, furniture, landscape and product design. His work explores the relationship between human experience, place and cultural context, with projects ranging from contemplative centers at Stanford University and the University of Virginia to the reimagined Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley.
The lecture gave students and the broader Corcoran community the opportunity to engage with an award-winning designer whose work continues to shape conversations around sensory experience, sustainability, community and place.
Interior Architecture Students Earn National Recognition
Interior Architecture students earned remarkable recognition this year through several highly competitive industry awards, highlighting the strength of the program’s graduate work and professional preparation.
Graduate student Deborah Wroblewski won the national 2026 ASID Student Portfolio Competition and was named a Metropolis Future100 recipient, an honor recognizing top graduate students in architecture and interior design programs across the United States and Canada. In the 2026 IIDA Student Design Competition, Corcoran students earned three of the six national awards for projects developed in Studio 4: Wroblewski received first place, Grace Becton received third place and Gabby Gilden received an honorable mention.
Locally, Shuree Batbold received the Student Award at the 2026 IIDA Mid-Atlantic Premier Design Awards, while Hannah Payne was selected as a 2026 HKS Health Interiors Fellow.
Faculty Kudos
- Stephanie Travis and Catherine Anderson published a new book, Interior Design Is Not Decoration: And Other Ideas.
- Erin Speck has been appointed Director of Undergraduate Studies.
- Scott Jones has been appointed Director of Graduate Studies.
Alumni Class Notes
- Linda Potragke, MA ’12, since graduating, has been working in Architectural firms in DC as an Interior Designer, focusing on commercial workplace design. She also enjoys mentoring with Design-Like-A-Girl at the District Architecture Center. She has two adorable cats.
Make a Gift and Alumni Events
CCAS Alumni Programs will provide links to your program’s giving page and to the calendar of events.
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
Summer or fall programming you would like to highlight and invite alumni to. Events have to be formatted as:
- Event Title
- Location
- Day, Month, Year
- Time
- Link to register