Wender·Vista
Almaty
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileKazakhstan
at the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau, southern Kazakhstan

Almaty

— — the apple city under a wall of snow.

— 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 largest city of Kazakhstan sits on the long apron below the Trans-Ili Alatau, the northern wall of the Tien Shan. The name traces back to alma, the apple, and the wild ancestor of the domestic apple grew in the foothills here. From most streets in the south of the city the mountains close the view, snow-capped well into summer. Zenkov's wooden cathedral keeps its place in Panfilov Park. — from the studio

from the studio
Almaty
— bring it home

Almaty, 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 Almaty

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

Almaty is the largest city of Kazakhstan, with roughly two million residents, set on the gravel apron below the Trans-Ili Alatau range of the northern Tien Shan. The city sits at about 700 to 900 metres above sea level, with the ground sloping steadily south toward peaks that rise above 4,000 metres within sight of the centre. Almaty served as the capital of Kazakhstan until 1997, when the seat of government moved north to Astana, and it remains the country's commercial and cultural anchor.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the air

The setting is alpine on its southern edge and steppe-continental everywhere else, which gives Almaty long cold winters and hot dry summers. The Medeu skating rink sits at 1,691 metres in a side valley above the city, and the Shymbulak ski resort above it climbs to about 3,200 metres. The genetic origin of the domestic apple, Malus sieversii, has been traced to these foothills, which is the source the city takes its name from.

— the stone

The Ascension Cathedral, built in Panfilov Park by the architect Andrei Zenkov and completed in 1907, is the recognisable landmark of central Almaty. It is built entirely of Tien Shan spruce, painted in soft yellows and greens, and rises to about 56 metres, which makes it one of the tallest wooden buildings still standing in the world. The cathedral survived the 1911 Kebin earthquake intact, an event local guides still mention.

— where
Kazakhstan · Almaty
— elevation
785 m · 2,575 ft
— position
43.2389° N · 76.8897° 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.
1 km central
Panfilov Park
city park
15 km SE
Medeu skating rink
high-altitude rink
25 km SE
Shymbulak
alpine ski resort
3 km S
Kok-Tobe
lookout hill
N
Almaty
Panfilov Park
Medeu skating rink
Shymbulak
Kok-Tobe
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Almaty is in south-eastern Kazakhstan, on the gravel apron below the Trans-Ili Alatau range of the northern Tien Shan, near the border with Kyrgyzstan and not far west of the Chinese frontier.

No. Almaty was the capital until 1997, when the government moved the seat north to Astana. Almaty remains the largest city and the commercial and cultural centre of the country.

From the Kazakh word alma, meaning apple. The wild ancestor of the domestic apple, Malus sieversii, grew in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau, and the city has carried apple-related names since at least the medieval period.

The city sits between roughly 700 and 900 metres above sea level, sloping upward from north to south. The Medeu rink above the city is at 1,691 metres, and Shymbulak climbs to about 3,200 metres.

It is an early-twentieth-century Russian Orthodox cathedral in Panfilov Park, designed by Andrei Zenkov, built entirely of Tien Shan spruce, completed in 1907, and rising to about 56 metres.

Late May through early June and September give clear mountain views and mild city weather. Winter is cold and snowy and is the high season for skiing above the city at Shymbulak.

— about the piece in your home

It travels well in that direction. Kazakhstanis and the wider Central Asian diaspora tend to recognise the apron of the Alatau on sight. A Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries the meaning.

The palette runs cool blue-white snow and soft yellow-green city, so it sits in alpine-modern, Scandinavian, and quiet Central Asian rooms. Pale wood and natural linen settings hold it well.

Yes. Alpine-modern leans on mountain horizons, light wood, and restrained colour. The Almaty tile reads as a mountain piece first and a city piece second, which is the way that register usually wants to be cast.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large is the natural choice. Above a longer console or a king-bed wall, a 4-tile Mural carries the room, and a 9-tile Mural belongs in a stairwell or double-height space.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for bathrooms, showers, and kitchen backsplashes. Both resist water and scratching. The Glossy finish is for framed wall art only.

A microfibre cloth and water are enough for the Glossy finish. In a wet area with Dura Satin or Matte, a mild non-abrasive cleaner is fine. No bleach, no scouring pads.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is painted in the studio's own visual language and is not licensed from any third party. Reid Wender curates the atlas and chooses every place that enters it.

— 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.