shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileEstonia

across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki

Tallinn

— — a medieval town that never quite left the Middle Ages.

— 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

“Tallinn keeps a walled Hanseatic old town on a low hill above the Gulf of Finland, almost intact from the thirteenth century. Toompea looks down on red-tile roofs and the spire of St Olaf's, once the tallest building in the world. Helsinki is a two-hour ferry north across the cold water.

from the studio

— bring it home

Tallinn, 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 Tallinn

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

Tallinn is the capital of Estonia, on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, about 80 kilometres south of Helsinki across the water. The population is near 460,000. Its medieval Old Town, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, preserves a Hanseatic core of merchant houses, guild halls, and city walls from the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries, divided between the lower town and the upper citadel on Toompea Hill.

— informed by UNESCO

— the stone

The Old Town's defensive walls, begun in the thirteenth century under the Danes and extended through the fifteenth, once carried 46 towers; about 20 remain. St Olaf's Church (Oleviste kirik), measured at 159 metres in the sixteenth century, was probably the tallest building in the world from roughly 1549 to 1625; its present spire stands 124 metres. Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats) has held the Gothic Town Hall, completed in 1404, since the early fifteenth century.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the visit

Toompea Hill is reached by Pikk jalg or Lühike jalg, the long leg and the short leg, two cobbled lanes that climb from the lower town. The viewing platforms at Kohtuotsa and Patkuli look across the red-tile roofs to St Olaf's and the harbour. The Christmas Market on Raekoja plats, held through December, has stood in the square since 1441, one of the oldest in Europe. The cobbles ice over in January, so soft soles are not the friend they look.

— informed by Visit Tallinn

— where

Estonia · Harju County, Estonia

— elevation

9 m · 30 ft

— position

59.4370° N · 24.7536° E

— 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.

at the lake

Toompea Hill

upper-town citadel

at the lake

Raekoja plats

Gothic town square

at the lake

St Olaf's Church

medieval church

at the lake

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Russian Orthodox cathedral

at the lake

Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform

rooftop overlook

Tallinn

Toompea Hill

Raekoja plats

St Olaf's Church

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform

— common questions

What people ask.

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

— about the place

A settlement is recorded on the site by the early thirteenth century, when the Danes built the first stone castle on Toompea Hill in 1219. The city joined the Hanseatic League by the mid-fourteenth century.

The limestone hill at the centre of upper Tallinn, the historical seat of power, where the bishop's castle stood from 1229 and the Estonian Parliament sits today.

It preserves an unusually complete Hanseatic merchant town from the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries, with its walls, towers, churches, and guild houses largely intact. UNESCO inscribed it in 1997.

St Olaf's Church (Oleviste kirik), built from the twelfth century and rebuilt repeatedly after fires and lightning strikes. At about 159 metres, it was likely the tallest building in the world from 1549 to 1625.

About 80 kilometres north across the Gulf of Finland. Ferries cross in roughly two hours and run several times a day in summer, making day trips between the two capitals routine.

— about the piece in your home

Often. Tallinn is the cultural capital of Estonia and a recognisable image across the wider Baltic. A Medium or Small with a studio note carries well to anyone who grew up under that skyline.

The terracotta roofs and dusk-blue of Tallinn sit well with Nordic-modern, Library Traditional, and warm Minimalist interiors. It earns a place above a writing desk or a low wood bench.

A Large reads well above most consoles. A 4-tile Mural carries the rooftop horizon above a sofa, and a 9-tile Mural holds the entire walled city on a long wall.

Yes. Choose Dura Satin or Matte for vertical installations near water. Both are scratch-resistant and humidity-tolerant. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water. Avoid ammonia-based sprays and abrasive pads. The colour lives in the surface and will not lift or fade with cleaning.

Yes. Reid Wender, the curator, paints the visual language and our family studio in Knoxville hand-finishes each tile. No licensing, no reprints from elsewhere.

— if this one stayed with you

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