Wayfair Summer Innovation · 2022
Furnish a Future
A donation registry that turns Wayfair’s unsold furniture into a fresh start for families displaced by disasters. Best Innovation, Wayfair Summer Innovation 2022.
The problem
Families lose their homes while furniture sits unsold.
Every year, millions of people are displaced by natural disasters; in 2020 alone, over 1.7 million in the U.S. Meanwhile, Wayfair warehouses held millions of dollars in dead stock, furniture taking up space and headed for landfills.
How might we repurpose distressed inventory to give comfort, dignity and a sense of home to people who’ve lost everything?
The solution
A registry for families rebuilding their homes.
Furnish a Future connects Wayfair’s dead stock with families in need of disaster relief, through a proposed partnership with the American Red Cross. Items unsold for 24 months join the registry, customers can donate by paying the shipping, and a dashboard tracks the program’s reach and the families it helps.
Why this problem
Pick the problem the company is built to solve.
The team explored several social and environmental issues, from homelessness to climate change, and chose housing displacement. It matches Wayfair’s mission, “a sense of home for all,” it can scale through existing warehouse inventory, and it fits Wayfair’s long-term social responsibility work.
Mentorship
Coach the team, don’t design for them.
As the project mentor, I helped define the scope and coached the interns through weekly checkpoints, facilitated brainstorms, whiteboarding and UX critiques, gave feedback on the story and stakeholder pitch, and encouraged clear roles and ownership.
Outcome
Best Innovation among all intern teams.
The team won Best Innovation with a business case that reduces warehouse costs, keeps furniture out of landfills and supports displaced families.
For me, it was a step into leadership: helping each intern lead within their discipline, speak with confidence, and connect their ideas to Wayfair’s mission.
