Wender·Vista
Richmond Hill
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileCanada
just north of Toronto, up Yonge Street

Richmond Hill

— the quiet block above the city's glow.

— 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 York Region city up Yonge Street, north of Toronto, where the road climbs the old colonization route to one of the highest points in the area. Mill Pond holds the geese in October. The David Dunlap Observatory still turns its dome over the suburbs after dark. The kind of town that lets the city end without saying so.

from the studio
Richmond Hill
— bring it home

Richmond Hill, 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 Richmond Hill

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

Richmond Hill sits in York Region, Ontario, about 30 kilometres north of downtown Toronto along Yonge Street, with a population near 200,000 today. The land rises gently here; the area takes its name from the height of land along the old colonization road. Mill Pond, near Mill Street, dates to the 1840s and remains the city's emotional centre. Lake Wilcox lies to the north. The city has one of the largest Iranian and Chinese-Canadian communities in the Greater Toronto Area.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the silence

The suburb sits high enough that on clear winter nights the ridge stands above the glow of Toronto, the streetlights of the 401 corridor receding south. The David Dunlap Observatory chose this height in 1935 for that reason: the 1.88-metre telescope, the largest optical telescope in Canada, needed a dark sky within reach of the University of Toronto. The light pollution has crept north since, but the ridge still offers more quiet than the city below remembers it has.

— the visit

The David Dunlap Observatory is open to the public through the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, with evening tours on most Saturdays from May through October and limited dates the rest of the year. The 1935 dome and the historic administration building sit on the 78-hectare grounds at 123 Hillsview Drive. Mill Pond Park is open daily, free, with a one-kilometre loop suited to a slow walk in any season. Yonge Street through the historic core has restaurants from a dozen cuisines, with the Chinese and Persian kitchens especially well represented.

— where
Canada · York Region, Ontario
— elevation
245 m · 804 ft
— position
43.8828° N · 79.4403° 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.
30 km S
Toronto
city
10 km E
Markham
city
10 km W
Vaughan
city
10 km N
Aurora
town
5 km N
Lake Wilcox
lake
8 km N
Oak Ridges Moraine
moraine
N
Richmond Hill
Toronto
Markham
Vaughan
Aurora
Lake Wilcox
Oak Ridges Moraine
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Richmond Hill is a city in York Region, Ontario, roughly 30 kilometres north of downtown Toronto along Yonge Street. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, with a population near 200,000.

The town was named in 1819 after the Duke of Richmond, then Governor General of British North America. The 'Hill' refers to the height of land along Yonge Street, the highest point between Lake Ontario and Lake Simcoe.

Opened in 1935 on a ridge in Richmond Hill, the David Dunlap Observatory houses a 1.88-metre reflecting telescope, the largest optical telescope in Canada. The University of Toronto operated it until 2008.

Mill Pond is a small artificial pond in central Richmond Hill, dating to the 1840s when it powered an early grist mill. It sits in Mill Pond Park, a wooded green space with a one-kilometre walking loop.

Late September into mid-October, when the maples around Mill Pond turn and the evenings cool enough for observatory tours. Lake Wilcox to the north is best in summer for the trails and the boardwalk.

GO Transit runs the Richmond Hill rail line from Union Station to Richmond Hill GO; the YRT/Viva bus rapid transit runs north along Yonge Street. By car, take Yonge Street or Highway 404 north about 30 kilometres.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well to former residents and to families who grew up in York Region. A Medium framed with a small handwritten note from the studio, or a Coaster Set as a housewarming for someone newly moved away, is fitting.

The deep stained-glass blues and lamp-lit ambers in the tile read well with Mountain-modern, Mid-century, and warm Transitional interiors. The stillness of the composition suits a study, a hallway, or a quiet wall above a console.

Yes. The dark-ground stained-glass palette pairs cleanly with wide-plank oak, blackened steel, and wool textiles common in Toronto and cottage-country interiors right now. It works as a quiet counterpoint to lighter Scandinavian rooms as well.

A single Large reads from across a standard living room and centres above most consoles. Above a full sofa, a four-tile Mural carries the wall; for a long sectional, a nine-tile Mural fills the space.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for bathrooms, showers, and kitchen backsplashes; both are scratch-resistant and stand up to humidity. The Glossy finish is intended for framed wall pieces in drier rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. For kitchen or bathroom installations in Dura Satin or Matte, a mild non-abrasive household cleaner is fine. Avoid bleach, ammonia, and abrasive pads on any finish.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is a one-studio piece, curated and finished by Reid Wender in Knoxville, Tennessee. No licensing, no third-party prints, no franchised art.

— 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.