I must admit I agonized some over the appropriateness of that which I am about to discuss, but in the end, the bolder segments of my disposition won the day and I'm proud to introduce a new brand of A&D product exclusively for the dead. Danish firms Tommerup Kister and Jacob Jensen Design present Diamant, a series of designer coffins that allow you to depart this earth in high style.

Diamant Coffins. Designed by Tommerup Kister and Jacob Jensen Design.

The problem of modernizing caskets is familiar to both companies. Tommerup Kister speaks from a lifetime of experience in the funerary trade, while Jensen principal Tim Jensen brings the perspective of two years dedication and some 75 prototypes. The difficulty, according to Jensen, was in updating the familiar form while avoiding the temptation to push things past the comfort level: "We’ve done a lot of research and I have seen other attempts to modernize the coffin, but I think they’ve gone too far. It’s important to keep the coffin DNA, to keep it familiar" (Guardian UK).

For Jensen and Tommerup Kister, the middle ground-as it were-inhabited a space between a contemporary Scandinavian aesthetic and the iconic profile of the rarest of gems: Diamant plays with the pristine form, the glinting facets, the epochal durability of the dazzling diamond. The three models in the series thus draw their inspiration from the cleanest lines of cut stones. Named for the number of facets, Diamant 14, 26, and 32 each reflect the linear complexity of the famed jewel. The approach allows the coffins to remain within a context of tradition, yet display the vaunted sculptural quality of much contemporary design. The profile has functional and symbolic components as well: the high point corresponds to the heart of the deceased, and the top surface of each model perfectly accommodates a single flower.

A Diamant coffin in white or black with a single red rose would certainly create a staggering mise-en-scene, so the coffin is sure to suit those with a flair for the dramatic, but it also makes a subdued statement. One idea behind the aesthetic is that the visual interest is sufficient to preclude adornment-this alone will help to keep the proceedings appropriately tasteful and somber.

Diamant is constructed of Nordic Birch Ply. Interiors feature upholstered cotton with a nature motif inspired by the grounds around Jacob Jensen's Hejlskov studio: "here the water of the fjord mirrors the sky, while reeds and rushes rise vertically against the horizon."

Via GuardianUK.