shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePhilippines

on the southern edge of Metro Manila, along Manila Bay

Las Piñas

— — a parish church that learned to sing in bamboo.

— 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

“A city on the southern lip of Metro Manila, between the bay and the old Zapote road. The reason most visitors come is St. Joseph Parish Church, where an organ of nearly nine hundred bamboo pipes has been playing since 1824. Built by a Recollect priest who had to invent the craft as he went. Every February the city fills with European organists who come to hear it.

from the studio

— bring it home

Las Piñas, 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 Las Piñas

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

Las Piñas is a highly urbanised city on the southern edge of Metro Manila, between Parañaque to the north and Bacoor in Cavite to the south, with a short Manila Bay coastline to the west. The 2020 Philippine census recorded a population of about 606,000 across 32 square kilometres. The city traces its name to the small pineapples once grown along the Zapote River, and its older economy to salt-making in the bayside flats. The Zapote Bridge, fought over in the Philippine Revolution of 1897, still carries traffic at the city's southern boundary.

— informed by Wikipedia — Las Piñas

— the stone

St. Joseph Parish Church on Real Street was built in coral stone between 1797 and 1819 by Father Diego Cera, a Spanish Augustinian Recollect priest who served as parish priest from 1795. The Bamboo Organ inside the church is his work, built between 1816 and 1824 with 902 bamboo pipes and 122 horizontal metal reed pipes. The bamboo was cured by burying it in beach sand for six months to keep insects out. The organ was restored in Bonn between 1972 and 1975 by Johannes Klais Orgelbau, then reinstalled in its original loft.

— informed by Wikipedia — Las Piñas Bamboo Organ

— the year

The International Bamboo Organ Festival has been held at St. Joseph Parish Church every February since 1976, drawing organists from across Europe and Asia to play the Cera instrument. The Klais firm of Bonn carried out the 1972 to 1975 restoration on the recommendation of the Philippine National Historical Institute, which declared the organ a National Cultural Treasure in 2003. The church itself was declared a National Historical Landmark in 1973. The festival runs nine to twelve days, and the closing concert traditionally pairs the bamboo organ with the visiting soloist of the year.

— informed by International Bamboo Organ Festival

— where

Philippines · Las Piñas, Metro Manila

— elevation

9 m · 30 ft

— position

14.4499° N · 120.9831° 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

St. Joseph Parish Church

Spanish colonial church

4 km S

Zapote Bridge

historic bridge

3 km W

Manila Bay

bay coastline

Las Piñas

St. Joseph Parish Church

Zapote Bridge

Manila Bay

— common questions

What people ask.

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

— about the place

Las Piñas is a highly urbanised city on the southern edge of Metro Manila, Philippines, with a short coastline on Manila Bay. It borders Parañaque to the north and Bacoor, Cavite to the south.

A pipe organ built between 1816 and 1824 by Father Diego Cera at St. Joseph Parish Church, with 902 bamboo pipes and 122 horizontal metal reeds. The bamboo was cured in beach sand for six months to deter insects.

Father Diego Cera, a Spanish Augustinian Recollect priest from Graus in Aragon, who served as parish priest of Las Piñas from 1795 until his death in 1832. He designed and built both the church and the organ inside it.

Yes. Johannes Klais Orgelbau of Bonn restored the instrument between 1972 and 1975, returning it to playing condition. The Philippine National Historical Institute declared the organ a National Cultural Treasure in 2003.

An annual festival held at St. Joseph Parish Church every February since 1976, bringing organists from Europe and Asia to perform on the Cera instrument. It typically runs nine to twelve days with a closing concert featuring the year's soloist.

Beyond the Bamboo Organ, Las Piñas is known historically for salt-making along Manila Bay, for jeepney manufacturing in the Sarao Motors yard, and for the Zapote Bridge, site of an 1897 Philippine Revolution engagement.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. For a family with roots in Las Piñas or anyone with ties to the parish, a Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio reads as recognition of the city's most loved place.

It reads warmly into Spanish Colonial Heritage interiors, soft Tropical Maximalist rooms with rattan and dark wood, and Filipino-Modern spaces. The coral-stone creams and bamboo golds sit well against teak and woven abacá.

Yes. Tropical Maximalist and Southeast Asian Heritage interiors have held strong on Pinterest home boards through the past three seasons, with hand-built craft pieces like organs and instruments a recurring image.

A single Large reads well above a console up to about six feet wide. Above a sofa or sideboard, a four-tile Mural or nine-tile Mural holds the wall and lets the organ loft and church façade extend across the grid.

Yes. Ask for the Dura Satin finish for a soft sheen or Matte for no sheen. Both are scratch-resistant and rated for vertical wet installations like backsplashes and shower walls.

A microfibre cloth with water is enough for the Glossy finish. For Dura Satin and Matte in kitchens or baths, a mild soap and warm water rinse keeps the colour reading cleanly. No abrasive pads.

— if this one stayed with you

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