shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileFrance

across the lagoon from Tahiti

Moorea

— the shape of a heart, seen from the air.

— 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

“The volcanic ridge that rises out of the South Pacific twelve miles northwest of Tahiti. Two deep bays, Cook's and Opunohu, cut into the green flank where Mount Rotui stands between them. The reef holds the lagoon in turquoise. Inter-island ferries cross from Pape'ete in about thirty minutes, and the road around the island runs sixty kilometres.

from the studio

— bring it home

Moorea, 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 Moorea

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

Moorea sits twelve miles northwest of Tahiti in the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an archipelago of the South Pacific. The island covers 134 square kilometres and rises to 1,207 metres at Mont Tohiea, with Mont Rotui at 899 metres holding the ridge between Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay. Volcanic in origin, it formed roughly 1.5 to 2 million years ago and from the air reads as a near-perfect heart. About 17,000 people live across the ring road that circles the island, with the administrative seat at Afareaitu on the east coast.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the water

A barrier reef holds the lagoon in glass-clear turquoise around the entire island, the same family of colour as the bays of Bora Bora to the west. The two deep inlets, Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay, were carved by the same caldera collapse that left Rotui standing between them. The lagoon shallows at Temae and near the Hilton motu hold blacktip reef sharks and stingrays close to shore. The Pacific past the reef drops to abyssal depth within a few kilometres of the beach.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the visit

Two ferry companies, Aremiti and Terevau, run the thirty-minute crossing from Pape'ete on Tahiti to the Vai'are wharf, with several departures a day. Air Tahiti also flies the seven-minute hop into Temae airport. The ring road around the island measures roughly sixty kilometres and can be driven in under two hours. The Belvedere lookout above the Opunohu Valley, reached by a paved road climbing from Pao Pao, gives the framed view of both bays with Mont Rotui standing between them.

— informed by Tahiti Tourisme

— where

France · Windward Islands, French Polynesia

— elevation

1,207 m · 3,960 ft

— position

-17.5388° S · 149.8295° 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.

17 km SE

Tahiti

sister island

260 km NW

Bora Bora

island

Moorea

Tahiti

Bora Bora

— common questions

What people ask.

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

— about the place

About twelve miles, or twenty kilometres, northwest of Tahiti across the Sea of the Moon. Aremiti and Terevau ferries cross from Pape'ete in roughly thirty minutes, and Air Tahiti runs short flights into Temae airport.

The shape comes from the collapsed caldera of an ancient volcano. Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay are the two lobes cut into the northern coast, separated by the ridge of Mont Rotui at 899 metres.

Mont Tohiea, the highest peak on Moorea, rises to 1,207 metres at the centre of the island. Mont Rotui, between Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay, reaches 899 metres. Both are remnants of the original volcanic cone.

The barrier reef shelters blacktip reef sharks, southern stingrays, sea turtles, and several hundred species of reef fish. Snorkeling tours from the motu near the Hilton and off Temae bring visitors within a few feet of the rays.

The drier season runs May through October, with average highs in the low eighties Fahrenheit and lower humidity. November through April is the warmer wet season, with brief tropical showers most afternoons.

— about the piece in your home

It's been a meaningful gift for that exact reason. Many couples remember Moorea by the view from the Belvedere or the lagoon read from a ferry rail. A Medium or Large on a wall reads as a kept memory.

The greens and turquoises of the artwork sit with Coastal-modern, Tropical-modern, and biophilic interiors. The piece anchors a wall of rattan, linen, and pale oak without competing with them.

The lagoon palette of turquoise into deep teal with ridge greens behind is at the centre of current Coastal-modern direction, which has moved off white-and-navy toward warmer green and softer water tones.

A single Large reads from across a room above a console. Above a standard sofa, a 4-tile Mural carries the scale. For a feature wall, a 9-tile Mural gives full presence.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish for bathrooms, showers, or any kitchen backsplash. Both are scratch-resistant, and the colour lives in the surface rather than on top of it.

A soft microfibre cloth and clean water are enough for routine dusting. Avoid abrasive cleaners. The colour is infused beneath a thin glossy finish, and the surface is washable without polish or wax.

— 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.