2010 was the year that death–related stuff threatened to beat out lamps as a favorite hobbyhorse for the designerati. Now one of those projects, the Diamant coffin/urn series from Jacob Jensen Design, has been shortlisted for a Brit Design Award.
There’s something epically laughable about burying exquisitely designed objects with rotting corpses, but hey, the pharaohs did it and so do we. Diamant coffins are at least designed sustainably: they’re made from less-than-precious plywood, so you won’t be taking a grove of virgin hardwood trees with you on your voyage into the Great Beyond. Here’s a process shot of the Diamant with some more traditional designs — it looks appropriately humble:
But the final detailing is still top-shelf. Jensen took inspiration from diamonds, giving the coffin sharp edges (its highest point lines up with the occupant’s heart) to signify preciousness and perpetuity. (Just because we know the thing is going to be worm food in a couple hundred years doesn’t mean we can’t be aesthetically respectful of its cargo!)
Head over to Tommerup Kister if you feel like shuffling off your mortal coil in award-winning style.