In a city known for its sunshine, innovation, and creative energy, one Brisbane business is quietly—but profoundly—changing how Australians think about life, death, and everything in between.
Yurn, a design-led cremation urn company founded in Brisbane, is reimagining how we engage with end-of-life rituals, remembrance, and legacy. In doing so, it’s carving a bold new path in a traditionally conservative industry—and placing Brisbane at the centre of a global movement to make death more human, more beautiful, and more personal.
A Fresh Voice in a Tired Industry
The funeral industry is not often associated with design, innovation, or emotional resonance. For decades, it has remained largely untouched by the shifts seen in other sectors: the rise of conscious consumerism, the demand for personalisation, and the desire for experiences and products that reflect individual values.
Yurn is breaking this mould.
From its Brisbane base, Yurn is creating handcrafted cremation urns designed to complement modern homes and lifestyles. These aren’t the cold, impersonal vessels that sit in shadows on high shelves—they are warm, intentional pieces of art, made for display, storytelling, and connection. Each design is a contemporary tribute that brings loved ones into daily life in a way that feels natural, comforting, and meaningful. “We want to normalise the presence of ashes in the home,” says Yurn’s founder, Emily La Rosa. “And more than that—we want to help people celebrate life, not hide death away.”
Born in Brisbane, Built for the World
Yurn is proud to call Brisbane home. The city’s distinct blend of design-forward thinking, entrepreneurial grit, and emotional honesty has shaped the company’s ethos from day one. “There’s a certain openness and creativity in Brisbane that gives us the freedom to approach this topic differently,” says Emily. “We’re not just designing urns—we’re redesigning the emotional experience of remembrance.” This local influence can be seen in every aspect of Yurn’s work—from their use of natural materials and organic shapes, to the way their products quietly echo the aesthetics of Queensland architecture and interiors. Whether it’s a minimalist ceramic urn placed on a bookshelf or a timber-crafted piece nestled among family photos, Yurn’s creations are designed to integrate, not isolate.
The Legacy Society: More Than Urns
But Yurn is not stopping at beautiful objects. Recognising that remembrance is more than just the physical act of holding onto ashes, the business is launching The Legacy Society—an initiative that helps individuals and families explore legacy-building, storytelling, and end-of-life planning in a way that feels empowering and life-affirming.“Legacy isn’t just what we leave behind. It’s how we live, the stories we share, the rituals we create,” says Emily. “The Legacy Society is our way of helping people engage with that—well before they ever need an urn.”
Workshops, guides, and online resources invite people to think creatively about
memory-making. Whether it’s curating a personal farewell ceremony or starting a family tradition to honour anniversaries of loss, The Legacy Society will help Australians reclaim agency in a space that has long felt outsourced and uncomfortable.
A Generation Rethinking Remembrance
Yurn’s approach has resonated particularly strongly with Gen X and Millennial
Australians—many of whom are rejecting traditional cemetery models and embracing more personal, sustainable ways to honour loved ones. For these generations, a sense of design literacy is second nature. They want meaningful objects in their homes, not mass-produced placeholders.
Yurn’s cremation urns respond to this with understated elegance and intentional craftsmanship.Designs range from sculptural ceramics to contemporary timber forms, each piece infused with thought and care. The result is a collection that aligns not only with personal taste but with a deeper emotional need—to keep a loved one close, without grief becoming overwhelming or clinical. In fact, grief psychology supports this approach. Tangible, beautiful reminders in shared spaces can support emotional processing, offering comfort in the ongoing experience of loss.
Breaking the Death Discomfort
While Australians are increasingly choosing cremation—especially in urban areas like Brisbane—the idea of keeping ashes at home still makes many uneasy. For decades, cremation urns have felt like stark, somber reminders of mortality. Yurn is working to shift that. By reframing the cremation urn as an object of love, memory, and design, the business is making remembrance more accessible and less confronting. “Death discomfort is real in Australia,” Emily says. “But when we change how we talk about death—and what we see when we think about it—we create space for healing, storytelling, and connection. That’s what we’re here to do.”
Why It Matters—Locally and Nationally
In Australia, cremation is now the preferred option for more than 70% of families, and Brisbane is no exception. Yet, the options available for post-cremation memorialisation have lagged behind this cultural shift. Yurn is leading the way forward. As a Brisbane-based pioneer in this emerging design-meets-deathcare space, Yurn is drawing national attention for its fresh approach—and international interest isn’t far behind. The business represents a new wave of deathcare entrepreneurship that blends compassion with creativity, functionality with beauty. More than just a product company, Yurn is a cultural disruptor—encouraging Australians to talk, share, and live with death as part of life.
Looking Ahead: A New Ritual for a New Era
As Brisbane continues to grow as a hub for innovation, lifestyle, and ethical enterprise, businesses like Yurn demonstrate how creativity and compassion can thrive side by side. In a world where grief is often rushed, hidden, or sterilised, Yurn offers an alternative: thoughtful design, emotional resonance, and a quiet revolution in how we remember. By embracing the power of story, ritual, and beautiful design, Yurn is inviting us to see the end of life not as something to fear—but as an opportunity to honour, reflect, and create something lasting.
Browse the Yurn collection today and redefine the way you honour your loved ones at home.