International Women's Day Interview: Swyft x Furnishing Futures

This International Women's Day, we're spotlighting Emily Wheeler, founder of Furnishing Futures. We sat down for an interview with Emily to discuss her charity, which creates fully furnished, trauma-informed homes for women and children escaping domestic abuse.

We're proud to support Furnishing Futures by donating furniture to The Atrium or directly to beneficiaries. Every donation helps turn an empty property into a safe, welcoming home.

Furnishing Futures provides fully furnished, trauma-informed homes. Why does good design matter so much for women and children escaping abuse?

When a woman and her children escape abuse, they often leave with very little — sometimes just a few bags. They've experienced prolonged trauma, instability, and a loss of control.

In that context, a well-designed, comfortable home isn't a luxury — it's a foundation for recovery. Trauma-informed design creates a sense of safety, calm, and dignity. Soft furnishings, warm lighting, coordinated colours, and thoughtful layouts all send a powerful message: you matter, you are safe, you deserve this.

For children especially, having a bedroom that feels like theirs — with a proper bed, storage for their things, and space to play — restores a sense of normality. A healing home provides stability at a time when everything else feels uncertain.

Furnishing Futures understands something we believe in, too — that home matters. Not just as a place to put your things, but as a foundation for how you feel. For those starting over, that couldn't be more true. It's a partnership that makes sense, and one we're proud to be part of.

What difference does a ready-to-live-in home make for survivors — practically and emotionally?

Practically, it removes an overwhelming burden. Most social housing tenancies are completely empty — no beds, no sofa, no fridge, no flooring. Survivors are often managing trauma, legal proceedings, financial hardship, and single parenthood simultaneously. Expecting them to furnish an entire property from scratch isn't realistic.

Emotionally, the difference is profound. Walking into a fully furnished, beautifully prepared home means a family can start rebuilding immediately. They can cook dinner together. The children can sleep in proper beds. They can close the door and feel safe.

Instead of beginning their new life in another environment of stress and deprivation, they start in a space of comfort and dignity. That changes everything.

Can you share a story where a furnished home made a real difference to a family?

Jemma's story:

"My life before was scary, exhausting, lonely, and I didn't feel like it was worth living. Trying to break the cycle and leave someone who is a bully was very difficult, especially having a daughter. When I finally did, it was like I walked into another hell. I found it very difficult to get somewhere to stay, even for the night to keep my daughter and me safe, and I slept in my car for several days. The housing department was not very helpful.

After a long battle, I was given temporary accommodation, and eventually, after many emails and standing up for myself, I got a one-bedroom council flat. When I finally thought, 'this is it, we have a home!' I was left heartbroken as I walked in and there was nothing! I mean nothing literally - it was a shell and nothing like home.

There were so many thoughts running through my head: how can I cook my daughter food, how can I wash her clothes, where is she going to sleep? Then you came, and it felt like a guardian angel. 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.

You made me feel like it was going to be okay. What you have done for me and my daughter I will forever be grateful for. My daughter can actually lie in her own bed and feel safe, feel warm, and be able to be a child."

Your model gives high-quality products a second life rather than letting them go to landfill. How did sustainability become part of your mission?

Sustainability and social justice are deeply connected. The interiors industry produces a vast amount of waste — thousands of high-quality items discarded each year due to minor imperfections, returns, or changing collections.

At the same time, women and children were moving into empty properties with nothing. That felt both environmentally and morally wrong.

By redirecting these products into homes for survivors, we reduce waste and create beautiful, dignified spaces. It's a circular solution to two urgent problems — domestic abuse and environmental waste.

How do you balance creating a stylish, comfortable home while keeping things sustainable and cost-effective?

Our partnerships do the heavy lifting. Brands across the interiors industry — including Swyft — donate high-quality products for our homes. Every pound we spend goes further, and we can provide quality homes at a fraction of the cost.

Many social housing tenancies come unfurnished. How does that gap affect survivors, and what obstacles do they face without support?

The gap is enormous. An unfurnished tenancy can require several thousand pounds just to make it habitable — flooring, white goods, beds, storage, basic kitchen equipment.

Survivors often have limited savings, may carry debt, and are rebuilding their financial independence from scratch. Without support, families can end up sleeping on floors, living without fridges or cookers, or going further into debt to cover the basics.

That prolongs stress and undermines recovery. A home without the essentials isn't truly a fresh start.

What do you wish more people understood about the barriers survivors face when moving into housing?

People often assume that once someone leaves an abusive partner, the hardest part is over. In reality, that's often when the practical challenges begin.

There are complex housing systems, long waits, benefits applications, school transitions, legal proceedings, and trauma responses — all happening at once. Many women are parenting alone while navigating it all.

Moving into temporary or permanent housing without support can feel isolating and overwhelming. The emotional load is huge.

How do partnerships with businesses, donors, and volunteers help you create these spaces?

Our partnerships are everything. Businesses donate high-quality products that allow us to create beautiful homes. Donors fund the logistics, storage, design, and delivery. Volunteers help prepare and install each space with care.

It takes a community to create a healing home. Every partner plays a role in transforming an empty property into a place of safety and hope.

What can everyday people do to support your mission?

There are many ways to get involved — donating, fundraising, introducing us to businesses with surplus stock, volunteering, or simply spreading awareness.

Even small actions matter. A single donation can contribute to a kettle, a fridge, or a child's desk — tangible things that make a real difference to daily life.

Where do you see Furnishing Futures in the next few years?

Over the next few years, we want to scale our Healing Homes model across London, reaching every borough by 2030. Ultimately, our goal is to become a national charity — so that no survivor has to start again without the support they deserve.

We've also recently launched The Atrium — our new events and retail space in Leyton — where you can buy gorgeous, high-quality furniture donated by our brand partners, with all proceeds supporting our work.

How do you measure success beyond simply furnishing a home?

We look at improved wellbeing, children settled at school, mothers reporting reduced anxiety, and families sustaining their tenancies. The feedback we gather consistently shows our homes increase feelings of safety, dignity, and pride.

True impact is when a woman tells us: "This feels like my home." That sense of ownership and security is transformational.

On International Women's Day, what message would you like to share about the women you support?

The women we support are extraordinary.

Leaving abuse takes immense courage. Rebuilding a life from scratch while protecting your children takes resilience beyond words.

We are continually inspired by their determination, their love for their children, and their refusal to give up on a better future. Our role is to ensure that when they take that brave step, they are met with safety, dignity, and the foundations they deserve to thrive.

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If you want to know more about how we are working with Furnishing Futures, you can see the details here.