Some say caskets, others say coffins, but if death is the ultimate equalizer it may not matter to you once you are at the funeral home or lying six feet under – though before you go, it may be worth considering how stylish your (permanent) exist strategy is.

Contemporary German architect Gregor Darius Haiduk is the latest in a long line of countrymen (the Brothers Grimm come to mind) to have addressed topics deemed too morbid for some creative types: in this case, the creation of a vessel to be set in your final resting place.

Some of his works are simply abstract, while others hint at religious significant in an oblique way (suggesting the sign of the cross through the shapes of wooden cuts, for instance – which you might not even see in the design until it’s pointed out).

Still others, though, walk a fine line between meaningful and potentially distressing, depending on your disposition – such as this tadpole-shaped infant coffin and dolphin-shaped child coffin. Tasteful and appropriate, or a bit over the top?

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Each container is made to order and comes colored with eco-friendly finishes that reveal natural wood grain as well as various modern paint colors – standard white-ironed fabrics inside. The handles are iron or copper, complimenting without detracting from the uniquely artistic cases they are designed to help people carry. In short: the art is not in the details, but in the overall form of these curious caskets.

Caskets, of course, are not a particularly necessary part of the burial process. One could argue that they’re extremely wasteful. And most people, in the depths of grieving a loved one, probably aren’t going to go out of their way to find something artistic like this instead of the standard funeral home offerings. However, if you’re the type to plan your own funeral, perhaps picking out and pre-paying for your own sculptural casket would be a way to leave one final impression of your personality on the people you leave behind.

The post Death in Style: 6 Artistic Caskets first appeared on Dornob.