Presumably created as a powerful social commentary on how we’re killing ourselves at work, these office chairs were designed to resemble coffins. They do not look comfortable. Still, being uncomfortable is a small price to pay for looking cool when you’re attending the annual vampire conference.
I think the chairs are an interesting juxtaposition because dead in the ground or alive in the office are the last two places I ever want to be. These chairs really spoke to me. And they said, ‘Get out from under this horrid fluorescent lighting, go outside, be free!’ And that’s how I just lost my job. Anybody hiring?
My only real complaint is how little armrest there is. I need thick, cushioned armrests, so my arms don’t hurt. I guess these chairs aren’t about cushioning your elbows, though. They’re about reminding you of the fleetingness of life. Every moment is precious; pet your dogs often – that’s what I got out of this.
Very few people are comfortable discussing matters related to death. In some cultures, it’s even taboo to do that. Despite social mores and psychological hurdles, there are businesses that thrive around the passing of family members and friends. The state environment might be the last thing on people’s minds when burying their loved ones, but it might shock them to learn that, even in death, we continue to harm the planet that has given us so much in our life. Since it’s a rather morbid topic that very few probably want to broach, it took vision, courage, and ingenuity to design a product that offers comfort to the bereaved while also giving back something to the environment, making sure that we continue to live on, even if in a completely different form.
Unless we have relatives or friends in the funeral business, we probably never give much thought to what pretty much becomes the last bed our body lies in. Presuming, of course, you don’t go for cremation or other practices and traditions. Few might have given any thought to the materials used for coffins, for example, and simply presume that they eventually decompose and disintegrate along with the human body. That, unfortunately, isn’t the case, and most of our funeral practices, be it burial or cremation, actually continue humanity’s crimes against Mother Nature.
The Living Coffin, which also goes by the less morbid name of Living Cocoon, shatters those misconceptions and even offers a way for people to make amends with the planet once they’ve ended their earthly journey. Instead of the typical materials used in coffins, which often use harmful chemicals or non-biodegradable materials, the “box” is actually made of mycelium. Or rather, the coffin is grown from a type of mushroom that is known for being nature’s biggest recycler.
The idea is not only for the coffin itself to return to the soil but also to transform dead organic matter into nutrients needed to grow plants. Yes, it basically turns your dead body into compost that could nurture new life. Instead of a cemetery filled with concrete, dead matter, and pollution, a burial site can actually become the start of a new forest, with each tree forever marking where your loved one was laid to rest. Inside the coffin is a bed of moss, rather than fabric or plastic, which helps the process along without poisoning the soil.
It is admittedly a novel concept that could unsettle some folks, but it is also a simple yet effective way to make sure that we leave behind a good legacy, no matter how we have lived our life. One of the things that people are advised to do in order to live forever is to plant a tree, but few of us are able to do so during our lifetime. The Living Coffin ensures that we’d still be able to do that after our death and could even have a tree to our own name.
If you’re ready to meet your maker, please have a seat, take a number and wait your turn. The Grim Reaper will see you shortly. Actually, you’re already sitting on his lap. Surprise! It’s time to die. If you want the craziest and creepiest chair in the neighborhood, look no further than this Grim Reaper Throne from Design Toscano.
Whether you have a goth theme going in your living room, or just want to get a really early start on Halloween festivities, this insane looking chair will definitely help set the mood. While it looks like it’s been sculpted from the bones of at least three lost souls, Design Toscano assures us the throne is made from handpainted resin and fiberglass and not actual skeletons. Then again, these are the guys who make a statue of Bigfoot frolicking with garden gnomes, so I’m not sure their judgment can be trusted.
In other news, the Grim Reaper Throne will hold a person weighing up to 375 pounds, so it’s happy to put an end to you, even if it’s an endless pile of fried chicken and sugary soda that did you in. It’s not the cheapest way to go though, with a price tag of $1199. Then again, you won’t need your money anymore after he’s done with you.
If you needed any more evidence that we are in fact living in the worst possible timeline, here it is: Lil Bub, one of the world's favorite internet-famous cats, has died. Her human dad, Mike Bridavsky, shared the news on Monday.
Twitter is putting the brakes on its plan to remove inactive accounts. After hints that it was considering ways to memorialize deceased users, the social network has announced that it won't remove any unused accounts until it has a way to commemorat...
Felix the Reaper is a tragic, comedic love story that plays out in the bureaucratic cubicles of the underworld, and it's coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch and PC on October 17th.
It stars Felix, a marshmallowy dancer on a mission to attract...
Grumpy Cat, the adorably grouchy-looking meme machine kitty, has passed away. The family of the dearly departed cat said she suffered complications from a urinary tract infection. She died on Tuesday at the age of seven.
Facebook is rolling out several updates for memorialized accounts, which are profiles that remain active for people who have passed away. A dedicated tributes tab will let friends and family share stories and memories of their loved one, allowing the...
The internet has lost one of its early architects. Larry Roberts, best known as the program manager for ARPAnet (the internet's precursor), died on December 26th at the age of 81. While he wasn't as much of a public representative for the internet...
Life as we know it needs water to survive and thrive. But scientists have observed something unusual in one of the driest places on Earth. When rain fell on the arid Atacama Desert, it brought...