shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileBrazil

the planned capital of Minas Gerais, ringed by the Serra do Curral

Belo Horizonte

— — a city of straight lines, softened by the mountain.

— 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

— 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

“The capital of Minas Gerais, laid out on a grid in 1897 to replace the colonial capital at Ouro Preto. The Serra do Curral rises along the southern horizon, the boteco bars stay loud past midnight, and on Lake Pampulha the white curves Oscar Niemeyer drew in the 1940s answer the city's straight streets.

from the studio

— bring it home

Belo Horizonte, 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 Belo Horizonte

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

Belo Horizonte is the capital of Minas Gerais and the sixth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil, with a city population of about 2.5 million. It was planned and built from scratch beginning in 1897, replacing the colonial capital at Ouro Preto. The Serra do Curral mountain ridge runs along the southern edge of the city, giving the skyline its frame, and the central grid was laid out by engineer Aarão Reis on the model of Washington and La Plata.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the stone

The Pampulha Modern Ensemble, designed by Oscar Niemeyer around a man-made lake in the 1940s, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016. The Church of São Francisco de Assis, with its undulating concrete vaults and Cândido Portinari tile panels, is the most photographed of the four buildings. The casino, ballroom, and yacht club complete the ensemble, with gardens by Roberto Burle Marx framing the lake and the long views back across the water to the city.

— informed by UNESCO World Heritage Centre

— the visit

Belo Horizonte is reached through Tancredo Neves International Airport at Confins, about 40 kilometres north of the centre. The city is the gateway to the colonial baroque towns of Minas Gerais — Ouro Preto, Tiradentes, Congonhas — and to Inhotim, the contemporary-art park 60 kilometres west, with works by Hélio Oiticica and Tunga set across forested grounds. Evenings belong to the botecos, neighbourhood bars where pão de queijo and frango com quiabo come with cold draft.

— informed by Instituto Inhotim

— where

Brazil · Minas Gerais, Brazil

— elevation

852 m · 2,795 ft

— position

-19.9167° S · 43.9345° W

— 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.

100 km SE

Ouro Preto

colonial baroque town

60 km W

Inhotim

contemporary art park

9 km N

Pampulha

modernist district

Belo Horizonte

Ouro Preto

Inhotim

Pampulha

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Belo Horizonte — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

It's the capital of Minas Gerais and one of Brazil's first planned cities. It's known for Pampulha's Niemeyer architecture, the surrounding colonial baroque towns, and a cuisine built around cheese, pork, and corn.

It was built from scratch beginning in 1897 to replace Ouro Preto as capital of Minas Gerais. Ouro Preto's mountain location had become too cramped for a modern state government, and a planned city was commissioned on open ground.

A 1940s complex by Oscar Niemeyer, Roberto Burle Marx, and Cândido Portinari, set around a man-made lake. It includes the Church of São Francisco de Assis, the casino, the ballroom, and the yacht club, inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in 2016.

Minas Gerais cuisine: pão de queijo, Minas cheese, feijão tropeiro, frango com quiabo, and the boteco staples eaten with cold draft. The city hosts Comida di Buteco, an annual competition among neighbourhood bars.

Tancredo Neves International Airport at Confins, about 40 kilometres north, handles domestic flights and a growing list of international routes. The city is also a long-distance bus hub for the colonial towns of Minas Gerais.

— about the piece in your home

Mineiros are quietly proud of their city in a way outsiders sometimes miss. A piece of the Pampulha skyline or the Serra do Curral lands well for a transplant, a returning student, or a grandparent in São Paulo or Rio.

The piece pairs with Mid-century Modern, warm Maximalist, and Tropical-modernist rooms. Niemeyer's curves and the green-and-gold palette read well above a teak credenza or against a deep terracotta wall.

A single Large carries a console or a smaller sofa wall. A four-tile Mural anchors a standard sofa, and a nine-tile Mural fills a long wall above a sectional or sideboard.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish, which are scratch-resistant and unaffected by steam and splash. Glossy is reserved for framed wall pieces in dry rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and clean water. No abrasive sponges, no glass cleaner, no kitchen sprays. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin protective layer.

— if this one stayed with you

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