Wender·Vista
Sydney
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileAustralia
on the great natural harbor of Port Jackson, on Australia's east coast

Sydney

— — sails of white tile above a harbor of blue.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A city built around one of the great natural harbors of the world, with white-tiled sails rising from a peninsula in the middle of the water and a steel arch bridge crossing the harbor north. The harbor light is hard and clear most of the year, the sandstone headlands warm in the afternoon sun, and the ferries to Manly and Watsons Bay keep their schedules in any weather. Bondi Beach is twenty minutes east of the opera roof.

from the studio
Sydney
— bring it home

Sydney, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Sydney

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and the largest city in Australia, set on the deep natural inlet of Port Jackson on the country's east coast. Greater Sydney holds about 5.4 million people across some 12,000 square kilometers, spreading from the harbor inland to the Blue Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage area roughly 80 kilometers west. The city was founded as a British penal colony at Sydney Cove in January 1788, on land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, who had been there for tens of thousands of years before the First Fleet arrived.

— the stone

The Sydney Opera House, designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and completed in 1973, is clad in 1,056,006 self-cleaning ceramic tiles in two shades of off-white, manufactured in Sweden by Höganäs. The shells were the engineering problem of the century when the building was being constructed, and the project ran from 1957 to 1973, with Utzon resigning before completion after disputes over costs. UNESCO inscribed the building as a World Heritage site in 2007, one of the youngest buildings on the list.

— the water

Port Jackson is a drowned river valley with about 240 kilometers of shoreline, deeper at its mouth than most working harbors in the world, which is why container ships, the Manly ferry, naval vessels, and 18-foot skiffs all share the same water. The Sydney Harbour Bridge, opened in March 1932 with an arch spanning 503 meters, crosses from Dawes Point to Milsons Point. Bondi Beach, an 800-meter crescent of golden sand on the open Tasman Sea, sits about seven kilometers east of the Opera House.

— where
Australia · Sydney, New South Wales
— position
-33.8688° S · 151.2093° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
7 km E
Bondi Beach
ocean beach
11 km NE
Manly
ferry suburb
80 km W
Blue Mountains
UNESCO sandstone range
9 km E
Watsons Bay
harbor headland
1 km W
The Rocks
historic district
N
Sydney
Bondi Beach
Manly
Blue Mountains
Watsons Bay
The Rocks
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Sydney — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Designed by Jørn Utzon, construction began in 1957 and the building opened in 1973. UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage site in 2007, one of the youngest buildings ever to receive the designation.

The shells are clad in 1,056,006 self-cleaning ceramic tiles in two shades of off-white, manufactured in Sweden by Höganäs. The pattern alternates glossy and matte to soften the building's glare in the harbor sun.

It opened in March 1932 after eight years of construction. The arch spans 503 meters from Dawes Point to Milsons Point and remains one of the longest steel-arch bridges in the world.

Greater Sydney holds about 5.4 million people across roughly 12,000 square kilometers, spreading from Port Jackson inland to the Blue Mountains. It is the largest city in Australia and the capital of New South Wales.

About seven kilometers east, twenty to thirty minutes by car, bus, or a combination of train to Bondi Junction and a short bus. The beach is an 800-meter crescent on the open Tasman Sea.

Sydney sits on the traditional country of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, who lived along Port Jackson for tens of thousands of years before the First Fleet established a British penal colony at Sydney Cove in January 1788.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried well for expat and diaspora customers. The piece reads as the harbor light and the white sails over blue water rather than a generic city skyline. A Medium with a studio note travels well.

The harbor blue and warm sandstone palette lands in Coastal-modern rooms, Australian-modern interiors with a sea pull, and minimalist white-and-stone interiors that need a single point of saturated blue on the wall.

Above a standard sofa we recommend a single Large, a 4-tile Mural, or a 9-tile Mural depending on wall width. For a console, a Medium centered or a pair of Smalls flanking a lamp reads well.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both resist scratching and tolerate humidity and splash, which makes them suited to a powder room, a kitchen backsplash, or a shower wall.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in our own visual language at Wender Studios in Knoxville and produced in-house. There is no licensing, no third-party art, and no other studio carries the work.

A microfiber cloth with plain water, or a dab of mild dish soap for fingerprints. The color is infused into the ceramic surface beneath a glossy finish, so it will not fade or scratch under normal household use.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.