Winner: “Best Innovation” – Wayfair Summer Innovation Program
Furnish a Future
Mentorship + Social Impact Design
Context
About this project
As a mentor in Wayfair’s Summer Innovation Program, I coached six interdisciplinary interns through a 10-week challenge to solve a pressing global issue using Wayfair’s core resources. The team I guided — Operation Phoenix — was awarded “Best Innovation” for their standout solution: Furnish a Future.
Problem
Every year, millions of people are displaced due to natural disasters. In 2020 alone, over 1.7 million people were displaced in the U.S. Meanwhile, Wayfair warehouses held millions of dollars in dead stock — unsold furniture taking up space and eventually destined for landfills.
How might we repurpose distressed inventory to provide comfort, dignity, and a sense of home to those who’ve lost everything?
Solution
Furnish a Future is a donation registry platform that connects Wayfair’s dead stock with families in need of disaster relief — in partnership with the American Red Cross.
Users can browse and donate inventory items that have sat unsold for over 24 months.
Wayfair customers can contribute by paying for shipping or making monetary donations at checkout.
A dashboard tracks program reach and tells the stories of displaced individuals rebuilding their lives.
The program highlights Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and shows how Wayfair’s logistics and supply chain strengths can serve a greater good.
Mentorship in Action
Coaching Through Design Thinking
As the project mentor, I:
Helped define the project scope and coached interns through weekly checkpoints.
Facilitated brainstorms, whiteboarding sessions, and UX critiques.
Provided strategic feedback on narrative flow and stakeholder storytelling.
Encouraged role clarity and ownership to build team cohesion.
Guided the team in aligning the initiative with Wayfair’s People Principles (Collaboration, Innovation, Good Judgment).
Approach
Research + Impact
The team explored multiple social and environmental issues — from homelessness to climate change. Ultimately, we prioritized housing displacement due to:
It’s a clear alignment with Wayfair’s mission: “A sense of home for all.”
It has the potential to scale through existing warehouse inventory.
It fits with long-term CSR initiatives and public brand trust.
Results
Won Best Innovation among all intern teams.
Proposed partnership with the American Red Cross.
Created a business case that reduces warehouse costs, minimizes landfill waste, and supports displaced families.
Boosted brand equity and CSR storytelling for Wayfair.
The Mentor's Perspective:
Empowering Teams to Design for Impact
This experience let me step into a leadership role that fused mentorship with real-world design coaching. I focused on:
Encouraging inclusive, systems-level thinking
Empowering each intern to lead within their discipline
Instilling confidence in public speaking and storytelling
Helping connect their ideas with Wayfair’s broader mission
I’m incredibly proud of the collaboration, creativity, and heart that went into this solution, and even prouder to have supported the next generation of designers and strategists in bringing it to life.
