Wender·Vista
Kerman
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIran
in southeast Iran, at the edge of the Lut Desert

Kerman

— a city the desert keeps a little distance from.

— 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

“The provincial capital of Kerman Province in southeast Iran, set on a high plateau at about 1,750 metres, with the Lut Desert to the east and the Jebal Barez range to the south. A bazaar city of pistachios and carpets, of Safavid-era squares and bathhouses, of Zoroastrian fire temples and the shrine of Shah Nematollah Vali a short drive out at Mahan. The studio's tile keeps the warm bricked colours of the bazaar over the desert beyond.

from the studio
Kerman
— bring it home

Kerman, 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 Kerman

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

Kerman is the capital of Kerman Province in southeast Iran, set on a high desert plateau at roughly 1,755 metres above sea level. The city was founded in the third century by the Sasanian king Ardashir I and grew over centuries as a caravan stop on the trade route between the Persian Gulf and the inland plateau. The Lut Desert lies a short distance to the east, the Jebal Barez range to the south. The population today is roughly 700,000 across the urban area.

— informed by Wikipedia, Kerman
— the stone

The Safavid-era Ganjali Khan complex, built in the early seventeenth century by the governor of the same name, gathers a square, a caravanserai, a bathhouse, a mint, a small mosque and a bazaar around a single axis at the city's old heart. The bathhouse interior, now a museum with wax figures arranged on the marble platforms, preserves a vaulted brick ceiling pierced by skylight discs that throw circles of sun onto the floor through the working day.

— the visit

The city is reached by road from Yazd in about five hours, or by direct flight from Tehran in roughly an hour and forty minutes. The Ganjali Khan complex, the Jameh Mosque and the bazaar are walkable within the old centre. The shrine of Shah Nematollah Vali at Mahan and the rock formations of Shahdad on the Lut margin are common day trips. Most visitors arrange transport through hotel desks rather than navigating the desert tracks alone.

— informed by UNESCO, Lut Desert
— where
Iran · Kerman, Kerman Province
— elevation
1,755 m · 5,758 ft
— position
30.2839° N · 57.0834° 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.
35 km SE
Mahan
Sufi shrine town
95 km E
Shahdad
desert rock formations
195 km SE
Bam Citadel
mud-brick citadel
N
Kerman
Mahan
Shahdad
Bam Citadel
— common questions

What people ask.

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

On a high desert plateau in southeast Iran, at about 1,755 metres elevation, with the Lut Desert to the east and the Jebal Barez mountains to the south. It is the capital of Kerman Province.

Hand-knotted Persian carpets in the regional Kerman style, the pistachio crop of the surrounding province, and Safavid-era architecture centred on the Ganjali Khan complex and the covered bazaar.

It was founded in the third century by the Sasanian king Ardashir I, which puts the city in roughly its eighteenth century of continuous settlement. The old centre is mostly Safavid and Qajar in fabric.

Yes. The western edge of the Lut, a UNESCO-listed natural site, lies a short drive east of the city. The Shahdad rock formations on the Lut margin are a common day trip from Kerman.

The tomb and Sufi shrine of Shah Nematollah Vali, a fifteenth-century mystic and founder of the Nematollahi order. It stands about thirty-five kilometres southeast of Kerman, on the way out into the desert.

Spring and autumn, when daytime temperatures sit between fifteen and twenty-five Celsius. Midsummer can pass forty in the open desert; winter nights on the plateau drop below freezing.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Kerman is held in affection by many Iranian families, particularly those whose lineage runs through the southeastern provinces or whose households still keep a Kerman carpet. A Medium or Large carries the city's warm-stone colour well.

Reads well with warm-neutral rooms, jewel-tone maximalist interiors and traditional rugs. The terracotta and brick tones of the tile sit naturally alongside kilim, walnut wood and brass.

Yes. The current direction in warm maximalism layers terracotta, ochre and pomegranate against deep blue and brass. The tile gives a single anchored image that holds together a mixed gallery wall.

A single Large is the standard sofa or console anchor. For wider walls, a 4-tile Mural carries the bazaar facade across the horizontal; a 9-tile Mural gives a full feature wall.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both resist scratching and humidity and are intended for vertical installations like backsplashes, shower walls and powder rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and clean water. The colour lives in the surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so no special cleaner is needed and no abrasive pad should be used.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is curated by Reid Wender and finished in the Knoxville studio. There is no outside licensing and no third-party reseller.

— if this one stayed with you

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