Why a Home Matters More Than We Think
- mydenlife
- May 1
- 6 min read
The Quiet Power of Design — and the Work of Furnishing Futures
We talk a lot about how our homes look. But we don’t talk enough about how our homes make us feel.
And more importantly — what happens when someone doesn’t have one that feels like home at all.
I had the privilege of volunteering this month at Furnishing Futures along with a group of other interior designers. It was bitter sweet. A wonderful day feeling like we were being of some help but sobering to learn about the stories of the people we were helping. The charity, based in East London, founded in 2019 by interior designer and former social worker Emily Wheeler, the charity was born from a simple but powerful realisation:
A roof over your head is not the same as a home.
The Reality Most People Don’t See
Imagine leaving everything behind.
Not just your home — but your routine, your sense of normality. And then being placed in a completely empty flat.
No bed.
No sofa.
No curtains.
No way to cook a meal for your children.
This is the reality for many women and children fleeing domestic abuse in the UK. In fact, less than 2% of social housing comes furnished, meaning families are often left to start again with nothing. And for some, that absence of basic comfort becomes so overwhelming that it can lead them back to unsafe environments — simply because at least there, there was basic amenities and furniture.
That’s the part people don’t see.
Where Design Steps In
This is where Furnishing Futures quietly changes lives. What women and children need isn’t just furniture — they need safety, dignity, and a space that supports healing. So Furnishing Futures began creating fully furnished, trauma-informed homes for survivors — spaces that are not only functional, but thoughtfully designed.
And that distinction matters. Because design, when done well, isn’t decoration.
It’s care.
Our day of volunteering saw us let loose unpacking and adding contents to the warehouse which the team will then select from for each person’s new home. They had a delivery of boxes from The Ideal Home Exhibition exhibitors. So rather than ditching the furniture used to promote the businesses on their stands they can be re-packed and shared with Furnishing Futures and be repurposed. So you might not know what will be available at any given time in the warehouse but the charity still give a voice to the women and work with them to ensure everything going into the new home will work for them and not trigger them in any way.
We attacked some heavy lifting of sofas, flat pack reassembly and fawning over some of the items coming in with gusto and got really stuck in, which felt very gratifying but also like a drop in the ocean in terms of what is actually needed.
The Reason This Matters
I have shared here some of the feedback from women helped by Furnishing Futures and you can read their full stories here
Jemma's story
“Furnishing Futures changed my life in more ways than you can imagine. You filled my home with light, calm and most importantly that feeling of home. You made me feel like I had made it and all the struggle and the hardship was worth it.”
Shannon's story
“Words can’t describe what our lovely new home means to me. I sit for hours in silence, just in shock staring at all the lovely things. I can’t believe it’s mine and I have somewhere safe for me and my child to live now with flooring, furniture and white goods.”
Pearl's Story
“I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without Furnishing Futures’ help as I wouldn't have been able to afford to furnish or make my house a home. The support has transformed all areas of my life positively as well as the children’s. ”
That’s not about cushions or colour schemes.
That’s about emotional safety.
Summer opening hours Thursday to Saturday 10-5pm
Why Interiors Matter More Than We Admit
As an interior designer, I see daily how a well-planned space can change how someone lives.
But this is the deeper layer.
A home can:
Reduce anxiety
Support better sleep
Create a sense of control
Allow routines to form
Restore dignity
And for children, it’s even more critical. A bedroom of their own. A place to do homework. A space that feels calm.
These are not luxuries. They are foundations. But still there are 1 million children in the UK don’t have a bed (ref: End Furniture Poverty)
Furnishing Futures talks about creating “healing homes” — and that phrase is exactly right.
Because design has the power to support recovery in ways we don’t always articulate.
New, slight seconds and donated items on show at The Atrium
For those of you living in or around London then you might well be interested in The Atrium which is the events space for Furnishing Futures and where they sell on some of the donated items to help fund the charity. You can find some amazing items at around 50% of the usual retail price.
And we got to play in The Atrium - styling the space with items from the warehouse and donations from some amazing companies. I mean the joy of scurrying around with 7 other interior designers staging the space was like being given an early birthday present. And here is a a picture of all of us ‘in the wild’ at the end of the day!
A Model That Makes Sense (and Should Be Everywhere)
What’s particularly compelling about Furnishing Futures is how intelligently it works.
It tackles two issues at once:
Furniture poverty — affecting millions in the UK (14 million people are impacted by furniture poverty in the UK - ref End Furniture Poverty)
Waste in the interiors industry — with millions of items sent to landfill each year (22 million pieces of furniture end up in landfill every year - ref: End Furniture Poverty)
By partnering with brands, designers and retailers, the charity redirects high-quality furniture — often unused — into homes where it is deeply needed. It’s thoughtful. It’s sustainable. And it’s scalable.
Their ambition is clear: to expand this model across the UK. And it should be. Because this isn’t a niche issue. It’s a systemic gap.
What About Closer to Home? (Brighton & Sussex)
In Brighton and Hove, there are incredible charities doing vital work supporting women and families — including RISE, which provides refuge accommodation, advocacy and support for those affected by domestic abuse.
There are also organisations like Off The Fence, working to support people facing homelessness and poverty in the city.
And initiatives linked to St Mungo’s in Brighton are actively seeking furniture to help people move into stable housing.
But what’s missing locally — and nationally in many areas — is this combination of interior design + trauma-informed furnishing at scale.
Not just providing items.
But creating a home.
So if you have any contacts/ideas or want to help please do drop me a line.
Why This Matters for Us (Yes, Even in Beautiful Homes)
If you’re reading this, you likely care about your home and understand the difference between a house and a home is something we all instinctively understand.
So perhaps the question becomes:
What responsibility do we have — and what role can we play?
Whether that’s:
Donating furniture
Supporting charities like Furnishing Futures
Being more conscious about waste
Or simply recognising the power of what we do
Because interiors are not superficial. They are deeply human.
A well-designed home doesn’t just look good. It can allow someone to exhale. To feel safe. To rebuild. To begin again.
And for some families, that isn’t a given — it’s something that has to be created.
Organisations like Furnishing Futures are doing exactly that.
Quietly. Thoughtfully. Powerfully.
And it’s work that deserves to be seen — and scaled. If you would like to get involved here are some handy links for you:
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