The Optimistic Coffin idea originated in the mind of designer Jiří Ďuriš in 2013. As an enthusiastic industrial designer, he wanted to focus of something that is often neglected, that hasn’t undergone any sort of change in design in several past decades, and that should be paid more attention to. He then remembered his mom’s passing. It happened in the 80s and the funeral had an atmosphere of absolute powerlessness, sorrow, and depression. In this sense, unfortunately, not much has changed since then. Almost all the coffins currently on the market are made in the same typical shape with the same colour options and the same kitschy ornaments. Merely seeing such coffins tends to instil a feeling of anxiety in most people.
The coffins made by Optimistic Coffin are different not only in their colourfulness and shape, but mainly in their philosophy of parting with someone dear with dignity. Using design, we’re trying to make a traumatizing event into a deeply human and personal ritual of saying goodbye to a loved one in as decent and gentle a way as possible. For this reason, our coffins are thought-out to the last detail. We aren’t concerned only with the outside look of the product; the interior equipment is also important to us, as we fill the pillows with an aromatic mixture of herbs. Following the same idea, we have also designed the Optimistic Urn – wooden urns suited for interiors, including a version for pour off, which offer a selection of colours of designed cloth bags.
The last member of the product portfolio of Optimistic Coffin (albeit presented with a very heavy heart) is the Coffinka - little coffin a product for at least an attempt at softening life’s hardest blows to all parents, allowing for final goodbyes with little angels in as decent a way as possible.