Rest in Pieces

Most urns are designed to convey a sense of permanence. I think this comes at a cost - traditional urns have a fake monumentality to them, feeling cold and impersonal. Urns don't need to look like ancient artifacts or bank vaults to have meaning. I'm still looking for designs that are warm and feel welcome in the home.

Product designer Nadine Jarvis's ceramic urn defies any sense of permanence. In fact, its design includes a built-in scattering, a return to nature on its own terms. This urn hangs by a thread, literally. In time (1-3 years) the thread disintegrates. The ashes plume into a final cloud, and that's it.



Although this project is more conceptual, I love the idea of a gradual return to nature. Holding on to the ashes seems to coincide with the natural process of grief, almost timed to let go when we are also finally ready to let go.