Another bookcase coffin

From an article in last Sunday’s Telegraph:

Kenneth Grange, 82, has designed some of the most familiar products and appliances used in our daily lives, from Kodak cameras to Kenwood food mixers, parking meters and bus shelters to London taxis. He began his career working as an architectural assistant at Arcon Architects before becoming a freelance designer and a founding partner of the design consultancy Pentagram. His work is currently on show as part of the V&A’s British Design 1948-2012 exhibition.

Kenneth Grange has designed a bookcase coffin, pictured above, which has, to date, evaded the eagle eyes of the GFG newsgatherers. Grange says:

“I designed a bookcase when my mum died in 1997. I was at the undertakers looking through a terrible green catalogue of coffins, all of which were awful and expensive, but we had to pick one. I knew she would have resented that pressure on the family, to see her off well. Sitting there, I thought to myself how ridiculous it is that I am spending my life haranguing people to live with well-designed things and when I go it could be in one of these dumb boxes. I thought, I will make my own! Mine one fits me like a glove and the lid is behind it – it’s just a matter of taking the bookshelves out, screwing the lid on and away we go. The only problem will be getting whoever is responsible to follow my instructions.”

Simply remove the shelves and cover with the lid, which is stored at the back of the bookcase.

It’s a lovely piece of work all right, but difficult to DIY. For those who’d like to make their own we recommend William Warren’s ingenious and lovely coffin. Send him your measurements and he’ll send you a plan. Free. Yes, what a nice man. So many people have contacted him through the GFG that we’ve had to send him a complimentary copy of the book. Find William here and his bookcase coffin below. 

Greenfield Creations, folk heroes here at the GFG, also sell a bookcase coffin. 

Thank you James Blackburn of Scotmid Co-operative Funeral Directors (recommended by the GFG) for alerting us to Mr Grange’s creation.