Wender·Vista
Ibadan
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNigeria
in southwestern Nigeria, north of Lagos

Ibadan

— the rust-red roofs that go on past the horizon.

— 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 in West Africa by land area, set on seven hills above the rainforest belt. From Bower's Tower the rooftops run rust-red to every horizon, broken by the slim shadow of Cocoa House. The University of Ibadan, the oldest in Nigeria, sits at the city's northern edge. The Yoruba name the city carries, Ibadan, means the field by the forest's edge.

from the studio
Ibadan
— bring it home

Ibadan, 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 Ibadan

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

Ibadan is the capital of Oyo State and the third-largest city in Nigeria by population, with a metropolitan area exceeding three and a half million people. Founded around 1829 by Yoruba refugees and soldiers regrouping after the collapse of the Oyo Empire, it sits on seven hills about 150 kilometres north of Lagos, at the edge of the southern rainforest belt. The University of Ibadan, established in 1948, was the country's first university and remains its most prestigious. The name derives from Eba Odan, meaning the field by the forest's edge.

— the stone

At the centre of Dugbe stands Cocoa House, the first skyscraper in tropical Africa. Completed in 1965, its twenty-six storeys rise 105 metres above the surrounding rust-red rooftops. The tower was funded by the Western Nigeria cocoa marketing board during the boom years when Yoruba cocoa earnings underwrote the region's modernist ambitions. A fire gutted the upper floors in 1985 and the building was later restored. From the roof, the city's seven hills are visible on a clear morning, with Bower's Memorial Tower on Oke-Are rising to the north.

— the visit

The dry season, from November to February, is the best window for a visit. The harmattan brings cooler air and a dust haze that softens the light, while afternoons in the wet season often turn to thunder. The University of Ibadan campus, Mapo Hall on Mapo Hill, and Bower's Memorial Tower on Oke-Are are the three landmarks most worth the walk. Bodija and Oje markets stretch across whole neighbourhoods. English and Yoruba are both widely spoken. Most international visitors fly into Lagos and drive the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway north.

— informed by Wikipedia — Ibadan
— where
Nigeria · Ibadan, Oyo State
— elevation
227 m · 745 ft
— position
7.3775° N · 3.9470° 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.
150 km S
Lagos
coastal megacity
80 km SW
Abeokuta
Yoruba historic town
55 km N
Oyo
ancient Yoruba capital
N
Ibadan
Lagos
Abeokuta
Oyo
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Ibadan's metropolitan population is over 3.5 million, making it Nigeria's third-largest city. By land area it is the largest in the country, sprawling across roughly 3,080 square kilometres of southwestern savannah and rainforest edge.

The city was founded around 1829 by Yoruba refugees and soldiers regrouping after the fall of the Oyo Empire. It grew into a military camp, then a city-state, then the centre of Yoruba power south of the Niger.

Yoruba is the everyday language. English is the language of government, university, and most signage, and most residents speak both, switching mid-sentence. Pidgin English is also common in markets and informal settings.

Cocoa House is a twenty-six-storey modernist tower completed in 1965, the first skyscraper in tropical Africa. It was funded by the Western Region's cocoa marketing board and still anchors the Dugbe commercial district.

November through February, the dry harmattan season. The wind brings cooler nights and a dust haze that softens the light. The rains run April to October, often with heavy afternoon thunderstorms.

Founded in 1948 as a college of the University of London, it became independent in 1962 and is Nigeria's oldest university. Its botanical garden and zoological garden are open to visitors.

The corrugated iron sheets used across Ibadan rust to a deep red-brown in the humid climate. Seen from any of the city's hills, the rooftops read as a single rust-coloured sea broken only by trees and towers.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers with Yoruba ties to the city. The view from the hills carries home in a way photographs rarely do. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio travels well.

The rust-red and indigo palette sits well with Afro-modernist interiors, jewel-tone maximalist rooms, and warm earth-toned minimalism. It pairs with raw wood, brass, and natural linen.

Yes. The global rise of Afro-modern design and the renewed interest in Yoruba palettes make this a current piece, not a nostalgic one. The colours pair with brass, walnut, and clay.

Above a standard three-seat sofa, a single Large works well on its own. For a longer wall, a four-tile Mural builds presence; a nine-tile Mural turns the wall into the room's anchor.

Yes. Order it in our Dura Satin or Matte finish for those rooms, both of which are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splash. The Glossy finish is reserved for framed wall art and dry display.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. No abrasives, no ammonia-based cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin protective finish, so it will not fade with normal handling.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to Wender Studios in Knoxville, Tennessee. The work is not licensed from any third party and is not reproduced under any other label. Reid Wender is the curator.

— if this one stayed with you

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