Dilly Carter of BBC’s Sort Your Life Out has given the charity’s new warehouse her signature makeover

Furnishing Futures had a huge breakthrough at the end of 2022, moving into their first warehouse, having previously been run from founder Emily Wheeler’s home. Having moved all donations from her home to the new space, held a warehouse sale and fitted it out with racking, shelves and cupboards with help from commercial fit-out company Jungle, it felt just as Emily wanted it: an interiors showroom rather than a warehouse. She’s passionate about framing this element of the support as an interior design service rather than a charity, as it’s important for women who have experienced domestic abuse or poverty to have choices, as it empowers them and raises self-esteem.

Many donations come from the interiors industry, helping reduce waste © Rachel Ferriman

But despite having built lots of storage, there was still the mammoth task of sorting everything out, and many boxes of donated items to unpack in order to start a proper inventory system. One of Furnishing Futures’ volunteers is a professional organiser on Dilly Carter’s Declutter Dollies team, and when Dilly – known for being chief organiser and straight-talking declutter expert on Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon – heard about the charity’s mission, she wanted to help get the warehouse organised. 

So, in April, she and a team of 10 organisers spent the day at the warehouse going through every box and donation, sorting, labelling and organising. The result is a beautiful, clear space where beneficiaries can spend time with the Furnishing Futures team choosing furniture, lighting and accessories for their new home.

(From left) Dilly, Emily and Declutter Dollies Claire Currie and Rebecca Dart © Rachel Ferriman

‘It was incredible to have Dilly and her team here and to watch them organise our space in just one day!’ says Emily. ‘Now we know exactly what we have, everything has its place and the warehouse looks like an inviting showroom for the women we support. We’re really looking forward to working regularly with Dilly and her team, who are now partnering with us both in the warehouse and in women’s homes.’

Furnishing Futures Warehouse © Rachel Ferriman

How you can help

Donate goods by contacting donate@furnishingfutures.org, volunteer to help at volunteer@furnishingfutures.org or buy a charity gift online.

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When we first met Anneka (not her real name) she had just been given an empty two-bedroom flat with her two children. She was in shock at her sudden change in circumstances and didn’t really know where to start with making a new home.

We made sure that Anneka and the children would be comfortable while they worked out the design and furnishing of her new home. She decided she wanted her home to be fresh and light with wood and pops of bright colour, a happy space for her children. Part-way through the project, interior designer Leo Wood from Kinder Design came on board to help complete the process.

Emily with Leo Wood from Kinder Design (left) who helped to style Anneka’s flat

Even though Anneka had said she wanted pops of bright colour, Anneka was a little unsure when DFS (dfs.co.uk), one of our partners, offered a bright orange sofa and armchair from their ex-showroom stock. However, once it arrived she loved it, and it’s now one of her favourite pieces. Mustard Made (uk.mustardmade.com) kindly donated the lovely blue children’s wardrobe and Pretty in Print (prettyinprintart.com) gave artwork chosen by Anneka for her youngest child, who loves animals.

Bold orange seating, graphic art and leafy plants give a mood-boosting lift to the living room

The home took around three months to finish, which is longer than most of our projects take. This was partly because the family went away to stay with grandparents during the school holidays and also because during this time we were busy moving into our first warehouse with all our donated furniture. The only bump in the road was sourcing blinds to fit the unusual living-room windows, and when we came to install some of them I found I’d mismeasured and they were too short! Despite this, we managed to pull it all together with the help of our brilliant volunteer Jono and designer Leo. Now Anneka and her children love their new home.

Softer colour features in the children’s room, with a blue locker wardrobe and animal art

Anneka says of the whole experience, “I met Emily at a very difficult time in my life after I’d ended a decade-long abusive relationship and was given beautiful accommodation to be able to escape to safety. But it was empty. I was unable to take anything from my marital home and so as a grown woman I had to start again from scratch, sleeping on air beds and eating off paper plates. Furnishing Futures came to my aid and looked after me, providing essential items at first…I started with nothing, but now I can provide a safe environment for my daughters. I don’t know what I would have done without Emily’s help.”

How you can help

Donate goods by contacting donate@furnishingfutures.org, volunteer to help at volunteer@furnishingfutures.org or buy a charity gift online.

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