Virginia Landry always shows off her custom-made coffin, in which she'll someday be laid to rest. Created to fit her exactly, the coffin is currently being used to hold her collection of hand-sewn quilts on removable shelves. Landry, who is in her eighties, says that she's accepted the fact that she isn't "going to be around forever" and says she loves her future coffin.

The craftsman behind the shelves is Waterville, Maine resident Chuck Lakin, who says he doesn't see death as a tragedy. "Everybody dies," Lakin says. "I'm a woodworker and I talk to people about home funerals. So of course I'm going to try and make [all furniture] coffins." Beds, bookcases, and chests of drawers are among Lakin's creations. He says if more Americans had Landry's attitude about furniture-coffin hybrids, millions could be saved in funeral costs, but he finds that most buyers are unwilling to confront the inevitable.

Though his work remains a tough sell, Lakin continues to build his unique items, while also teaching courses on affordable funeral alternatives.