shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePhilippines

in the centre of Metro Manila, south of the Pasig River

Makati

— — the city's lights, kept all night.

— 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 financial centre of Metro Manila, set on the south bank of the Pasig River. Makati grew from a hacienda held by the Ayala family into the country's primary business district, with Ayala Avenue lined by the headquarters of the Philippines' largest banks and conglomerates. The Greenbelt and Glorietta malls bring the city in at street level, and the night sky over Salcedo Village does not go dark.

from the studio

— bring it home

Makati, 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 Makati

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

Makati is one of the sixteen cities of Metro Manila, sitting on the south bank of the Pasig River across from the older Spanish-era city. Its land area is small, roughly 21 square kilometres, but the daytime population is among the highest in the country as workers fill the central business district. The Ayala-developed core, built from the 1950s onward on what had been farmland and hacienda, holds Ayala Avenue, the Philippine Stock Exchange, and Ayala Triangle Gardens at the centre of the district.

— informed by Wikipedia, City of Makati

— the light

By day the city is glass and pale concrete; by night Ayala Avenue runs as a vertical line of office towers lit against the bay air. The skyline grew rapidly through the 2000s, with One Roxas Triangle, the PBCom Tower, and the Trump Tower Manila rising above 250 metres each. Salcedo and Legazpi Villages keep their lights on through the night for the financial floor staff and the round-the-clock business-process-outsourcing sector. The view from the Mandaluyong ridge is the postcard version.

— informed by Wikipedia — Makati skyline

— the visit

Makati is reached most often through Ninoy Aquino International Airport, about seven kilometres south, by taxi or ride-hail rather than rail. The MRT-3 line runs along EDSA at the city's western edge, with stations at Ayala and Buendia. Greenbelt and Glorietta malls form the retail spine, and the Ayala Triangle Gardens hold a nightly light-and-music show through the Christmas season. The Ayala Museum reopened in 2021 after a five-year renovation and remains the city's principal cultural stop.

— informed by Ayala Museum

— where

Philippines · Metro Manila, Philippines

— elevation

17 m · 56 ft

— position

14.5547° N · 121.0244° 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

Ayala Avenue

avenue

3 km E

Bonifacio Global City

business district

2 km N

Pasig River

river

7 km NW

Manila

city

7 km S

Ninoy Aquino International Airport

airport

Makati

Ayala Avenue

Bonifacio Global City

Pasig River

Manila

Ninoy Aquino International Airport

— common questions

What people ask.

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

— about the place

One of the sixteen cities of Metro Manila and the primary financial district of the Philippines. The Ayala-developed central business district holds the country's largest banks, the Philippine Stock Exchange, and most corporate headquarters.

The land area is small at roughly 21 square kilometres, with a resident population of about 630,000. The daytime working population is far higher and among the densest in the country.

The Ayala family, through Ayala Land. Development began in the 1950s on land that had been the Hacienda San Pedro de Macati. Ayala Avenue, opened in the 1960s, remains the central spine.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport is about seven kilometres south of Makati. Most visitors take a taxi or ride-hail; the journey takes thirty to ninety minutes depending on traffic along the Skyway.

Two residential and mixed-use neighbourhoods inside the central business district, with weekend markets at each, Salcedo on Saturdays and Legazpi on Sundays. Both hold mid-rise condominiums and the city's denser restaurant streets.

The principal cultural museum in the central business district, holding Philippine pre-colonial gold, Filipino historical dioramas, and rotating contemporary exhibitions. It reopened in 2021 after a five-year renovation and sits across from Greenbelt.

— about the piece in your home

For Filipinos who worked in the business district or grew up in Salcedo or Legazpi, the skyline is part of daily memory. A Small or Medium tile carries the city well without dominating a wall.

The piece holds up in modern Filipino interiors, in tropical-modern condominium rooms, and in warm minimalist spaces with timber detail. The palette leans into the night-light blues rather than the bright daytime glass.

There is a move away from generic skyline posters toward painterly pieces of a specific home city. This piece sits in that category, closer to keepsake than to a souvenir print.

Above a console, the Large reads comfortably. Above a sofa, a four-tile Mural is the usual choice; a nine-tile Mural suits a longer wall in a condominium or office.

Yes, in either the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are made for vertical installation in showers, backsplashes, and powder rooms, including in humid coastal climates.

A soft microfibre cloth and water is enough. The colour lives inside the ceramic surface rather than on top, so the piece does not need polishing or sealing over time.

Yes. Each piece is painted in-studio under Reid Wender's eye, with no third-party licensing of any kind. The Makati name refers to the city in Metro Manila, not to any commercial property within it.

— if this one stayed with you

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