Wender·Vista
Kelowna
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileCanada
on the long blue lake in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley

Kelowna

— — a summer that smells like orchards and pine smoke.

— 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

“Kelowna sits along the eastern shore of Okanagan Lake, a 135-kilometre ribbon of water that runs north to south through the dry interior of British Columbia. Vineyards climb the hills above the city. Orchards run down to the water. In August the air carries woodsmoke from the inland fires and the lake holds a quiet the highway never quite reaches.

from the studio
Kelowna
— bring it home

Kelowna, 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 Kelowna

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

Kelowna is the largest city in the Okanagan Valley, with a metropolitan population near 222,000 as of the 2021 Canadian census. It sits at roughly 344 metres above sea level on the eastern shore of Okanagan Lake, a long glacial lake that stretches 135 kilometres between Vernon and Penticton. The William R. Bennett Bridge, opened in 2008, crosses the lake at the city's centre. Vancouver lies about 390 kilometres to the west across the Coast Mountains.

— the water

Okanagan Lake is deep, narrow, and old — a fjord-like basin carved by glacial action with a maximum depth near 232 metres. Its surface temperature in July warms to roughly 22°C along the city beaches at Gyro and Hot Sands. The Syilx (Okanagan) people have lived along these shores for thousands of years and the lake holds the n'ha-a-itk legend the settlers later renamed Ogopogo. The water reads bottle-green near the docks and cobalt out in the middle.

— the season

Kelowna runs hot and dry from late June through early September, with summer highs averaging around 28°C and only a handful of rainy days. The valley is wine country — over 40 wineries operate within the city limits and the harvest crush runs through late September into October. Fall brings the apple and pear pick along Lakeshore and Mission roads. Winter snow mostly stays above 1,200 metres at Big White, and the city below it tends to thaw and freeze.

— where
Canada · Kelowna, British Columbia
— elevation
344 m · 1,129 ft
— position
49.8880° N · 119.4960° 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.
50 km S
Naramata
wine village
55 km E
Big White
ski mountain
50 km N
Vernon
lake town
N
Kelowna
Naramata
Big White
Vernon
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Kelowna sits in the Okanagan Valley of southern British Columbia, on the eastern shore of Okanagan Lake. It is roughly 390 kilometres east of Vancouver and 115 kilometres north of the US border.

A long, deep glacial lake running 135 kilometres through the dry interior. Known for warm summer swimming, the William R. Bennett floating bridge, and the n'ha-a-itk legend the settlers renamed Ogopogo.

Yes. The city sits at the centre of British Columbia's wine country, with more than 40 wineries inside Kelowna's limits and many more along the lake south near Naramata and Oliver.

Mid-July through mid-September is the warm, dry window — lake temperatures near 22°C, vineyards heading toward harvest, orchards ripening. October brings the foliage on the lake hills and quieter tasting rooms.

Kel-OH-nuh — three syllables, stress on the middle one. The name comes from a Syilx (Okanagan) word commonly translated as 'grizzly bear.'

The Okanagan Highland rises east to Big White Mountain at 2,319 metres. The Thompson Plateau spreads west across the lake. The Coast Mountains separate the valley from Vancouver and the Pacific.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers with ties to the valley. The lake-and-orchard light reads as home to people from Kelowna, Vernon, and Penticton. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note carries well.

The bottle-green and gold palette settles into Mountain-modern, Pacific Northwest, and warm Minimalist rooms. It also reads well against cedar, stone, and unpainted wood common to Okanagan and BC interior homes.

A single Large reads at conversational scale above a sofa or console. A 4-tile Mural fills a larger wall with quiet weight, and a 9-tile Mural anchors a stairwell or open living room.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for humid rooms — both are scratch-resistant and read softer than glossy under overhead light. The colour lives in the ceramic and will not fade.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water are enough for daily care. The thin glossy finish wipes clean without polish or special cleaners. Avoid abrasive pads on the Matte and Dura Satin surfaces.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is created in-house by Reid Wender, the curator and eye of the studio. No licensing, no third-party art. Each tile is hand-finished in Knoxville, Tennessee.

— 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.