The Farewell Guide x urn studios  

Merel Swart & Jonathan Hancock, founders of urn studios 

urn studios was founded in 2024 and offers artistic, handcrafted memorial urns by UK makers.  

Can you tell us what urn studios does and how the business started?  

Merel: We’re an online platform, showcasing handmade memorial urns from a curated selection of UK artists. Our mission is to reimagine remembrance, by offering pieces that merge the art world with the memorial industry. With our collection we strive to offer urns that reflect individual personalities, and feel at home in our houses.  

Jonathan: In terms of how the business came about, it began in 2020 when my grandmother passed away. I helped my mum with the arrangements, and it was my first real interaction with the funeral space. We visited a local funeral director, and I was quite disappointed by how antiquated and impersonal the whole experience felt. When it came to the urns they had available, nothing stood out as particularly tasteful or fairly reflective of her personality. We started looking online for alternatives and were surprised by how limited the options were, nothing really felt in keeping with what we were hoping to find. That’s what inspired the idea of curating a collection made by artists. There’s so much talent in the UK, and yet so few contributing to this space. We thought, maybe we can help connect the dots, and that’s how the journey began. 

How do you choose and work with the artists that design your urns? 

Merel: We don’t have a strict set of criteria. We tend to follow our gut when it comes to choosing artists. If a piece of work evokes something within us, we’re curious to explore it further. When we first started, we reached out to both artists already working in the space (making memorial urns), as well as those who weren’t, but whose style we really admired. We found it especially interesting to see how artists unfamiliar with the funeral world approached the idea of a memorial urn through their own creative lens. That’s led to many of the unique and inspiring pieces we now offer. 

Jonathan: Alongside the creative freedom we want all our artists to retain, we’re there to help guide them through the practical aspects of each piece, things like dimensions, sealing, and structural durability to ensure it’s secure for holding ashes. It’s something many people are understandably unfamiliar with, so we’re able to offer both guidance and inspiration during the design process. We’ve really enjoyed that collaborative approach so far. Fortunately, there are no strict legal requirements around urn design in the UK, which gives our artists even more creative freedom, and allows us to offer pieces that feel truly authentic and often unexpected. 

Can you tell us more about one of the pieces in your collection? 

Jonathan: One of the pieces we collaborated on with the artist are the urn sets by Milo Gibson. We had a brainstorming session together, trying to come up with a design that would make the piece feel more like an experience, something that offers a different kind of connection. Milo came up with the idea of creating a memory bowl, connected to the urn by a wooden platform. The bowl can hold a watch, photo, or any small keepsake from the person being remembered. In many ways, it offers a sense of closeness, as if the person is still present through these tangible memories. We really love that the contents can change day by day, allowing people to revisit different memories over time. 

What kind of feedback have you received from families who chose a more personal urn?  

Merel: The feedback from customers has been one of the most rewarding parts of running urn studios. In a time where people are overwhelmed with grief, being able to support them in a small way, by offering a piece that hopefully reflects the personality of the loved one they lost, feels very special. 

Jonathan: There is often a sense of relief we hear from customers when they come across the collection, and we’ve received messages like ‘This is exactly what I was hoping to find’, or ‘I was struggling to find something that felt more personal and authentic’, and ‘This really captures the spirit of our loved one’. That’s exactly what we had hoped to have at the time, and is ultimately why we started, so it’s very rewarding to hear that reflected back. 

How do you feel The Farewell Guide could benefit people planning a funeral? 

Merel: The Farewell Guide has several elements to it, and I think that’s what makes it so helpful.  I feel the pre-planning section is especially valuable, as it allows you to store your end-of-life wishes. This provides enormous support to your family by giving them clarity, so they’re not left to make all the decisions on their own. 

Jonathan: Another useful feature they offer is a comparison tool. When you’ve just lost a loved one and are feeling overwhelmed by all the options, many people end up going with the first thing they come across. This tool, however, gives people the opportunity to explore what’s available and find something that truly fits their wishes and needs. 

Website: www.urnstudios.com 

Instagram: @urnstudios @urnstudiospets 

Email: hello@urnstudios.com