Legacy MattersHelen Baxter in North Scituate, R.I. makes coffins that are not only beautiful, but can be used as furniture until the last day comes.
Her creations make an eternal impression.
Baxter points to the eye-grabber in the store, a tall lavender bookshelf with a delicate design of lilacs painted behind the single shelf. Around the sides of the recently-finished piece are tiny green willow leaves, and the strong arms of an oak tree wrap around the outside frame, as though protecting it. The only giveaway that this is an antique-style coffin, standing upright, is its hexagonal shape. The coffin lid, which Baxter says is usually stowed away while the coffin is being used as furniture, has birch tree branches painted on it. The woman who commissioned the coffin, she explains, is a perfectly healthy 61-year-old nurse named Helen Busby. ''She said she liked birches, oaks, and willows," Baxter says. ''When she's laid out it will be really beautiful."
My coffins are handcrafted and handpainted. Many people order them early in life so that they may serve more than their final intended purpose. My coffins are designed to be practical and beautiful in a home for years in advance of need, serving as blanket chests, window seats, coffee tables and more.
Posted by Jill Fallon at April 3, 2006 1:10 PM | Permalink