Innovation in surface materials is the focus of the Surface Design Show 2024, with this year’s theme focusing on Mindful Living. Our charity partner for this year goes above and beyond with Mindful Living at the centre of what they do. We are proud to announce our partnership with Furnishing Futures, an innovative charity founded by interior stylist, writer, and social worker Emily Wheeler.
Furnishing Futures focuses on creating beautifully designed, fully furnished healing homes for women and children who have suffered from Domestic Abuse. After escaping domestic abuse these individuals often find themselves in social housing without basic amenities, such as flooring or white goods. The charity addresses this critical gap by partnering with the interiors industry to repurpose good quality ex-display items, returns, props, or donated furnishings. Through this sustainable approach, the charity transforms empty spaces with these items into beautiful, fully furnished homes that help people heal.
Based in Leyton in East London, Furnishing Futures works closely with specialist domestic abuse services and grassroots organizations, taking referrals to ensure their support reaches those who need it the most.
Furnishing Futures is the only furnishing project in the UK to create trauma-informed healing homes, fully furnishing and decorating homes at no cost to their beneficiaries. This includes flooring, painting and white goods. Trauma-informed design is used to create healing, restorative spaces that nurture and uplift women and children who have experienced domestic abuse or the impact of poverty. Biophilic, evidence-based design principles are also used to harness the healing power of natural light, shapes and materials to create healthy, healing homes, centred on beneficiaries’ needs. The charity work in partnership with the beneficiaries to give them choices about the furniture they have and the way their home is decorated. Having a beautifully furnished home raises self-esteem, alleviates stress and can help break the cycle of poverty for the most vulnerable women and children as well as increasing their safety.
Emily Wheeler has stated “Through our partnership with Surface Design Show we hope to strengthen our industry partnerships, enabling us to support more families with comfortable homes, while protecting the environment. We’re really looking forward to seeing how our partnership develops.”
As part of the partnership with Surface Design Show, renowned UK street artist Olivier Roubieu will create two live murals across this year’s events. These unique artworks will be auctioned, with all proceeds contributing to Furnishing Futures’ mission of creating safe and welcoming homes for survivors of domestic abuse.
Emily Wheeler, continues “Furnishing Futures is absolutely delighted to be chosen as Surface Design Show’s charity partner, and we want to say a huge thank you to all the exhibitors for supporting us.”
The interiors industry work closely together with this charity partner, with many organisations in the interiors industry donating high quality products such as returns, seconds or ex-showroom stock that might otherwise end up in landfill. Furnishing Futures operates from donations alone, any donations of the following items can help support this amazing charity.
Architects and designers come together at the Surface Design Show 6-8 February 2024 to view, source, and specify the newest and most creative exterior and interior surface materials from more than 180 exhibitors. This wide reach of industry professionals coming together will also help to increase awareness of this amazing charity to over 5000 architecture and design professionals.
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