shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileBrazil

on Rio's south Atlantic shore, between Arpoador and Leblon

Ipanema District

— — the afternoon the city walks down to the water.

— 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

“A two-kilometre crescent of sand between the Arpoador headland and the Jardim de Alah canal, with the twin peaks of Dois Irmãos rising at the western end. The beach is organised by numbered lifeguard posts, each with its own long-standing crowd. Late in the day people climb the rock at Arpoador, turn toward the headland, and clap the sun down.

from the studio

— bring it home

Ipanema District, 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 Ipanema District

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

Ipanema is a beachfront bairro in Rio de Janeiro's South Zone, bordered by Copacabana to the east across the Arpoador outcrop and by Leblon to the west across the Jardim de Alah canal. The sand runs roughly two kilometres along the Atlantic and is framed at the western end by the twin granite peaks of Dois Irmãos in the Tijuca massif. The neighbourhood was developed from the 1890s on the strip between the ocean and the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, and now carries some of Latin America's highest residential property values.

— informed by Wikipedia — Ipanema

— the light

The beach faces almost due south, which lets the sun set over the western headland for much of the year. The ritual at Arpoador, the basalt outcrop at the eastern end, is to climb the rock in the last hour of daylight and applaud as the sun drops behind Dois Irmãos. The applause is local custom rather than tourist invention, and on clear summer evenings between November and February the crowd on the rock can run into the thousands.

— informed by Wikipedia — Arpoador

— the visit

The beach is open and free, organised informally around lifeguard posts numbered from Posto 7 at Arpoador to Posto 12 in Leblon. Each posto carries a known crowd: families near nine, the LGBTQ+ scene under the rainbow flag at eight, surfers around Arpoador. The Hippie Fair has run every Sunday on Praça General Osório since 1968. The metro's General Osório station, opened in 2009, set the neighbourhood within direct rail reach of Centro and the international airport line.

— informed by RioTur — Ipanema

— where

Brazil · Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro

— position

-22.9840° S · 43.2070° 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.

2 km E

Copacabana

beach neighbourhood

1 km W

Leblon

beach neighbourhood

1 km N

Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas

lagoon

5 km NW

Corcovado

mountain

Ipanema District

Copacabana

Leblon

Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas

Corcovado

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Ipanema District — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

Ipanema is a beachfront neighbourhood in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, sitting between Copacabana to the east and Leblon to the west, along a two-kilometre stretch of Atlantic coast.

Arpoador is the basalt outcrop at the eastern end of Ipanema beach. Because the coast faces south, the sun sets behind the Dois Irmãos peaks to the west, and locals applaud as it drops.

Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes wrote the song in 1962 at the Veloso bar on Rua Montenegro in Ipanema, watching a young woman walk past to the beach. The street is now Rua Vinicius de Moraes.

The Brazilian summer runs December through March and is hottest and busiest. Many locals prefer the dry, clearer days of April and May, when the water is still warm and the crowds thinner.

Numbered lifeguard posts, postos, mark the length of the sand from Posto 7 at Arpoador to Posto 12 in Leblon. Each posto has a known regular crowd: families, surfers, the LGBTQ+ scene around Posto 8.

— about the piece in your home

Ipanema is one of the most loved corners of Rio, tied to the bossa nova years, the sunset ritual at Arpoador, and the everyday walk to the water. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note carries well to a carioca abroad.

The blues and warm sands sit well in coastal-modern, jewel-tone maximalist, and mid-century rooms. The Voynich treatment keeps it from reading as literal beach decor and works against white plaster or warm wood.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large reads at ease. For more presence, a four-tile Mural fills the wall. A nine-tile Mural takes a full feature wall and reads from across the room.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and built for steam and splash, which makes them suitable for a backsplash, a shower surround, or a powder-room wall.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water lifts everyday dust and fingerprints. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath the finish, so there is nothing on top to wear or fade with normal cleaning.

Yes. The piece was painted by Reid Wender, the studio's curator, and is produced only by Wender Studios in Knoxville, Tennessee. No licensing, no third-party reproduction.

— 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.