How to Display an Urn in Your Home

Displaying a cremation urn in your home is just as personal a decision as selecting the container itself. There isn't a right or wrong way to present it, nor is there a time frame in which to do this. The urn can be placed on a shelf or mantle or in a glass display case.

When a person is cremated, his remains are typically placed in a temporary container, usually a plastic box. A family can choose to keep the ashes in the box they receive from the funeral home or transfer them to a more permanent container or decorative cremation urn. More and more families are choosing to keep the urn at home and choosing styles that blend with the décor as a way to honor their loved one's life and keep his or her memory alive.

Selecting an Urn

The size and style of urn you select depends a great deal on the person who died as well as where it will be displayed. Urns come in several sizes from smaller containers that hold a partial amount or keepsake portions to companion urns, which can hold the ashes of two adult individuals.

Urns come in a variety of themes from sports and hobbies to religious and spiritual. Cremains can also be placed in urns shaped like animals or in containers honoring military or civil service duties. 

The style of cremation urn you choose can match the décor or color of the room in which it will be displayed. If you aren't sure about having the urn stand out too much in a room, choose a color or a theme that will help it blend in. Ceramic and pottery styles can be secured with museum wax that can be found at most hardware stores to secure your urn in place, especially if you live in an area more prone to earthquakes.  You can also choose to hold some of the ashes in a piece of cremation jewelry, which when not worn, can be placed in a protective glass dome.