Interview with Deirdre Mc Gettrick, Founder & CEO of ufurnish.com: Trends, Tech and the Future of Furniture Retail in 2026
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Deirdre Mc Gettrick has a unique ability to turn everyday frustrations into powerful opportunities. As the founder and CEO of ufurnish.com, she created a furniture search and discovery platform that brings the entire UK market into one easy-to-navigate space. Her journey didn’t begin in retail. After a career in finance and the challenge of trying to furnish her first home, Deirdre realised there was no simple way to browse the full furniture market in one place—so she set out to build it.
In this interview, Deirdre shares her insights on the opportunities shaping the furniture industry in 2026, the technologies every retailer should be tracking, and how ufurnish.com has grown into the go-to destination for furniture discovery.
What draws you and the ufurnish.com team back to the January Furniture Show each year?
We love the opportunity to meet colleagues across the entire furniture industry supply chain. It’s the best place to connect and strengthen relationships.
Is there a memorable moment from a recent JFS that has influenced your thinking or the direction of the business?Listening to the inspiring female leaders at the Women in Furniture event really made me reflect on my own journey and how fast the industry is evolving. There are so many talented women leading organisations in ways we don’t often see, so I love hearing those stories being brought to the front.
From your perspective as a tech-led platform, where do you see the biggest opportunities in 2026—and what challenges need the most attention?The biggest opportunities are coming through enhanced AI capabilities across the sector. In our space, it’s using AI to drive online shoppable experiences across property portals and publisher platforms.
Are there particular technologies or trends every retailer should be watching this year?Our Shop the Look technology, which integrates across property portals and publisher platforms, will turn home and garden imagery shoppable in a way nobody has seen before, connecting millions of UK consumers to contextual products for their home in real time.
What are consumers prioritising most in home furnishings, and how is ufurnish.com supporting those shifts?Consumers are prioritising longevity and multifunctional furniture. There’s a very clear trend across 2026 towards this and that will continue into 2026.
How central is sustainability in shaping your partnerships and the future direction of the platform?
Very central. It’s an important consideration for consumers, and we are focused on providing them with the most detailed information possible to help inform their purchasing decisions. Naturally, we can only achieve this if furniture retailers and manufacturers provide us with this detail in the first place.
Have any collaborations from JFS embodied your focus on innovation and responsible sourcing?In 2026 we’ve developed a collaboration with Harrison Spinks after meeting them at JFS. Their innovative and very British approach is extremely appealing and makes for excellent products.
What stand-out design trends are you seeing across furniture and interiors in 2026?Warmth and texture are dominant trends, with softer, earthy tones such as cream and brown coming back, alongside natural wood materials with hints of copper and gold. Harder concrete and marble are being softened by curved lines and spheres.
Have you noticed any shifts in customer behaviour on ufurnish.com that point to wider market changes?The main consumer trend is that people are thinking more about redecorating their homes rather than moving, due to cost-of-living considerations. It creates an opportunity for the furniture industry, but we have to be mindful that people are very cost-conscious.
What advice would you give independent retailers or brands looking to tap into these emerging trends?You have to stay close to trend insights and data from the industry and overlay your own data on top of it. By doing that, you can be savvy in calibrating your business offering to meet market demand.
I created ufurnish.com after purchasing my first home. I used property portals like Rightmove and Zoopla to find my home and then was surprised to find there was no furniture aggregator in the UK that brought all the supply into one simple website. I was inspired to create that website and help connect the industry.
What excites you most about the future of furniture retail and the evolution of your platform?I genuinely believe that AI innovation will create much deeper connections across the industry in a meaningful way. We’re laser-focused on this as a tech business, and we’re seeing strong growth as a result of our AI-led user experiences.
Is there a lesson or insight from the ufurnish.com journey that might inspire other entrepreneurs?The biggest challenge is that starting a business from scratch is hard. You have to be resilient and prepared to ride through challenging periods. There are no shortcuts, just focused, hard work to achieve your goals.