Return to Sender
Good design seems to have penetrated every market from light sockets to whole communities, but there remains one product that has, until now, escaped its loving touch: coffins. The ubiquitous plush and pearlescent models are big, expensive and just plain ugly. It’s hard to imagine any believer or practitioner of good design being buried in one. Plus, they’re a strain on the environment. The metal and hardwood varieties consume precious resources and “others are made from wood composites covered with artificial wood grains or PVC. Many handles and decorative elements are made from metal-coated plastic, while linings are typically synthetic.” If the casket is cremated those toxins are released into the air.
Greg Holdsworth, a New Zealand designer, addressed these issues with Return to Sender, his artisan eco-casket. Made of a lightweight plywood with a nice grain, the eco-casket boasts handles that are built into the base as well as a wool fleece lining. That means no extra accessories on the outside and no poly/rayon/acrylic/satin synthetic blend on the inside. A much needed alternative and a huge step up from the pine box, Holdsworth’s design is “an elegant, eco-iconic form that honors the deceased and allows their final footprint to be a small one.”
