Whether we want to think of it or not, the fact is that our time in the world is limited.
Some people will live longer than others but there’s a definite end no matter how long it lasts.
A topic like this always brings about metaphysical questions about one’s impact in the world and what awaits us all on the other side. A lot of debate has raged trying to come up with those answers and we still don’t have a definitive one. But the only thing for sure is that you won’t be able to take anything with you when you go. Not your car, not your bank account, not your business. Nada.
However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t make your passing more meaningful. And that’s the tack that designer William Warren took when he created a set of bookshelves called “Shelves for Life” that will not only last you a lifetime but they will also be of use when you pass on. That’s because these pieces of furniture can be converted into a coffin after you go.
“The wood will color, the surfaces will mark and stain, and over the years and the furniture will become a part of you,” Warren writes.
“When you die, the shelves can be taken apart and reassembled as a coffin.
The brass plate under the bottom shelf, that tells the story about this transformation, is then flipped over and your dates inscribed on it. ”People reacted at first with surprise at his design and then amusement. “It’s not everyone who sees the charm but some do. People are very pleased when they realize the designs can be downloaded for free.”
The designer readily admits that not everyone has been a fan of his concept: “I offered the design to a Japanese company when I first made it but they really didn’t like the reminder of death. Since then, some squeal and some smile.”
Warren also has other projects that he’s working on. Recently, he designed all the furniture and interiors for a new children’s hospital in Edinburgh as well as new gates for Kew Gardens in London. “I’m also teaching design at several universities and developing other music and video projects.”
The designer said that there’s no need to forget or ignore the fact of death because “we are all going to die” eventually.
“If you don’t think about it in advance, you’ll be buried or burnt in a chipboard box with paper that looks like wood and plastic handles that look like brass.Your grieving family will pay £400 for this £40 piece of rubbish because nobody argues with an undertaker.
Better to have something you’ve made, something solid and something that has lived with you in life and has the stains and scars to prove it.”
Warren premiered the eco-friendly shelves at the 2005 London Design Festival at the British Library and it has spawned a lot of discussions ever since.
Apart from being a Senior Lecturer at London Metropolitan University, Warren also teaches at three other colleges and universities. He also runs a furniture and product design consultancy.
What he wants for his designs is to elicit emotional reactions and make people think about their belongings. That’s why he makes sure to incorporate humorous conceptual twists in his designs.
If you’re interested in “Shelves for Life,” Warren will send you a personal design that’s free if you send in your measurements. Warren says that these bookshelves will “store all your knowledge and prized possessions.”
He added that “it will be a visible part of your life and will get coffee stains and burns on it. So it will mean more when you use it as shelves and it will mean more when you are buried in it.”
Speaking to Financial Times, Warren said that as far as coffins go, they’re one of the most expensive pieces of furniture that also have the worst quality. “I’m happy for as many people to have mine as possible,” he said.
Replaced!