Wender·Vista
Florianópolis
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileBrazil
on Santa Catarina Island, on Brazil's southern Atlantic coast

Florianópolis

— — forty-two beaches around one island.

— 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

“The capital of Santa Catarina state, set on a long Atlantic island linked to the mainland by the silver arc of the Hercílio Luz bridge. The north coast holds calm bay water. The east coast faces open Atlantic surf. Lagoa da Conceição cuts the middle. Locals call the place Floripa and the islanders Manezinhos.

from the studio
Florianópolis
— bring it home

Florianópolis, 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 Florianópolis

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

Florianópolis is the capital of Santa Catarina state in southern Brazil, with most of the city sitting on Santa Catarina Island, about 54 kilometres long, separated from the mainland by a narrow strait crossed by three bridges. Population within the municipality sits around 516,000. The island is part of the Mata Atlântica biome and carries roughly forty-two named beaches around its perimeter, from the calm waters of Jurerê and Canasvieiras in the north to the open Atlantic swell of Joaquina and Praia Mole on the east.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the water

Two distinct coasts define daily life on the island. The north and northwest face inland into Baía Norte, with warm shallow water and family beaches. The east coast meets the open South Atlantic, with surf consistent enough that the World Surf League has held events at Praia Mole. In the middle of the island, Lagoa da Conceição is a brackish lagoon roughly 20 square kilometres in area, connected to the sea by a narrow channel at Barra da Lagoa.

— the stone

The Hercílio Luz Bridge, opened in 1926, is the oldest of the three bridges linking the island to the mainland and the longest eyebar suspension bridge ever built, with a main span of 339 metres. Closed for safety reasons in 1991 and restored over decades, it reopened to pedestrians and limited traffic in 2019. The bridge is the city's emblem, repainted in the original silver, and lit at night above the Estreito channel between the island and the continent.

— where
Brazil · Florianópolis, Santa Catarina
— position
-27.5949° S · 48.5482° 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.
8 km E
Lagoa da Conceição
brackish lagoon
12 km E
Praia Mole
surf beach
22 km N
Jurerê Internacional
north-coast beach
14 km E
Joaquina
surf beach
2 km W
Hercílio Luz Bridge
suspension bridge
N
Florianópolis
Lagoa da Conceição
Praia Mole
Jurerê Internacional
Joaquina
Hercílio Luz Bridge
— common questions

What people ask.

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

The island carries roughly forty-two named beaches, ranging from calm bay water on the north and west coasts to open-Atlantic surf beaches like Joaquina and Praia Mole on the east side.

Most of the city sits on Santa Catarina Island, about 54 kilometres long, connected to the mainland by three bridges, including the historic Hercílio Luz suspension bridge.

Portuguese, with a distinctive local accent rooted in Azorean settlement of the eighteenth century. Long-term islanders are called Manezinhos and carry a vocabulary of their own.

The southern summer, December through February, brings warm water and full beach life. Shoulder months of March and November stay warm with thinner crowds and lower prices.

Opened in 1926, it is the longest eyebar suspension bridge ever built, with a 339-metre main span. After decades of restoration it reopened to limited traffic in 2019.

— about the piece in your home

It reads well for anyone who calls the island home or has spent time there. A Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries the bridge and the two coasts together.

The blues and silvers suit coastal-modern, Brazilian modern, and tropical-minimalist interiors. The piece also anchors well against pale wood, woven fibre, and unbleached linen.

A single Large reads well centred above a standard sofa. For a longer wall or sectional, a 4-tile Mural or 9-tile Mural carries the horizon of the island more fully.

Yes. Order Dura Satin or Matte for any humid room. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, so salt air, steam, and splash will not lift it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio in Knoxville, hand-finished in-house, with no licensing or reuse of external imagery in the work.

— 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.