Cara Petricca

I’m an emerging interior designer with a Diploma in Interior Design and a Bachelor of Interior Architecture. I’ve gained hands-on experience working at D-Arc Architects, where I developed my skills in spatial planning, material exploration and concept development. I’ve always had a strong passion for creativity and a keen eye for detail. I love exploring colour and texture and how the details within a space can evoke certain moods or emotions. My approach to design is about creating interiors that are thoughtful, expressive and meaningful - spaces that truly connect with the people who experience them.

My capstone project explores the design of an end-of-life sanctuary for young adults, focusing on how interior architecture can support emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. The project reimagines palliative care environments as restorative and empowering spaces - places that celebrate life rather than focus solely on illness. The design integrates natural light, texture and connection to landscape to create a sense of calm and dignity. Each space within the building; from private reflection areas to communal therapy zones - encourages choice, connection and comfort. Through this project, I aimed to challenge traditional perceptions of healthcare design by prioritising empathy, atmosphere and the individuality of each user experience.

The Reflection Space

A space where water, light and texture converge to mirror the inner landscape - a space for collective and personal introspection.

The Cinema Room

A warm, textural refuge that transforms from cinema to meditation hall - celebrating connection through sound, light and atmosphere.

The Arts Room

Where creativity becomes therapy - natural wood hues and bursts of colour invite freedom, play and emotional release.

The Library

An immersive library space - lifted, luminous and alive with colour; inviting exploration through form and light.

The Suite

Thoughtfully minimal, the suites offer comfort and autonomy - a tranquil foundation patients can make their own.

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.