It’s the coffin to curl up in: Artist designs pebble-shaped resting place because she hates idea of being buried ‘flat on her back’

  • Davina Kemble designed her own coffin after cancer diagnosis
  • Now given the all-clear, she has turned her idea into a lucrative business

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 19:49 EST, 4 October 2013 | UPDATED: 07:40 EST, 5 October 2013

If you sleep in the foetal position, you might want to be finally laid to rest that way too. 

That’s the thinking behind an artist’s pebble-shaped coffins, made from sculpted birch.

Davina Kemble, 59, was inspired to start the project when she was diagnosed with stomach cancer and started making her own final resting place as a piece of art.

Unique: Each coffin is handcrafted from birch ply and fully biodegradable

Unique: Each coffin is handcrafted from birch ply and fully biodegradable

The mother of four from Wiltshire, who had been working with wood for 23 years, said: ‘It’s a comforting thought for me – to know where I’m going to end up and create a warm environment for myself … I hated the thought of being laid out flat on my back.’

She has now launched the design as a business after being given the all-clear from doctors.

The £4,000 handmade coffins come in three standard sizes or bespoke.

 

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Mrs Kemble said: ‘I’m happy to have made a piece of art that people can be buried in.’

‘It has always been my intention to create my own resting place. It’s a comforting thought for me- to know where I’m going to end up and create a warm environment for myself.’

Morbid: Ms Kemble said she 'hated' the idea of being laid out flat in a traditional style coffin

Morbid: Mrs Kemble said she 'hated' the idea of being laid out flat in a traditional style coffin

Despite having the unwavering support of her husband Brian Kemble, 62, the head of a piano manufacturers in Vienna, Davina admits her four children were horrified at her work.

‘They thought what I was doing was completely unacceptable and disgusting. It was very difficult for them. I was working from home and they couldn’t believe that I was planning my own burial like that.

‘I know people think it’s a perverse way to think about death, but it was my way of dealing with things and now, my design can help other people too.

Davina lives in Wiltshire with her husband Brian, 62. Her four children Amy and Tania, 32, Juliette, 29 and Angus, 27 have since warmed to her project.

‘They came round to the idea once they saw how beautiful and tasteful the final product is.’

The top of the range birch plywood coffins are handmade by coffin manufacturers in Nottingham to look uncannily like smooth pebbles.

They have concealed handles so they can be lowered into a grave and are fully biodegradable. They are lined with linen and come in a variety of sizes. A pebble urn is also available.

After receiving the all-clear from her doctors last year, Davina said the prototype she made at her home in Wiltshire was suddenly in demand, which led her to launch the company earlier this month.

‘It took on a life and momentum of its own. I didn’t intend to make a business out of this, but there has been such a great response, that it would be selfish not to offer them to people.

‘When people see them, they think it’s a sculpture. Then it’s a shock to find out it’s actually a coffin. I’m happy to have made a piece of art that people can be buried in.’

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As if she'll no she's flat on her back

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No handles for the pall bearers - art for art's sake, you need a designer for anything with a function.

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Think outside the box, as they say. Excellent idea!

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what a great idea so much better than a standard coffin and much better looking

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I can see the logic. May cause some issues with burial plots though.

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Wonderful idea. Many ancient people were buried this way. We come into the world via the foetal position, so why not leave it in the same way. Comforting and natural coffins. Excellent.

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Pretty cool looking . I dont need anything fancy myself, Ill be long gone when I go .

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Brilliant! I never sleep on my back, so the idea of me being placed in a coffin in that position well, lets just say I wouldn't be entirely happy about it. I know people will comment on the fact that I'll be dead anyway so what difference does it make, but it does matter to me. So, I'll be looking into this, seriously. Taking a hot water bottle, a flask of coffee and a good book would be going too far!

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