Wender·Vista
Marikina
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePhilippines
east of central Manila, along the Marikina River

Marikina

— — a city the river built and remade.

— 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

“Marikina sits on the east side of Metro Manila, along the Marikina River below the foothills of the Sierra Madre. For most of a century it has been the country's shoe city, a riverside town whose workshops cut, lasted, and stitched the country's footwear. The river that gave the city its trade has also remade it more than once. The streets between Riverbanks Park and the old shoe district carry both stories at once.

from the studio
Marikina
— bring it home

Marikina, 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 Marikina

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

Marikina is one of the sixteen cities that make up Metro Manila, lying on the east side of the metropolitan area along the lower reaches of the Marikina River, at the base of the Sierra Madre foothills. The city covers about 22 square kilometres and is home to roughly 450,000 residents. It was incorporated as a city in 1996, having grown for centuries as a riverside mission town and then as the country's principal shoemaking centre, a trade that took hold in the 1880s and still defines the local economy.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the water

The Marikina River runs the length of the city, from the Wawa Dam catchment north of Montalban down to its confluence with the Pasig River south of Pasig City. Riverbanks Park follows the western bank through the central districts, a public park created on land cleared after repeated flooding. In September 2009, Tropical Storm Ondoy, known internationally as Ketsana, pushed the river over the basin and submerged most of the city. The flood markers on the riverside walls still record that high water.

— the visit

Marikina is most easily reached from central Manila by car or by jeepney along Marcos Highway, about an hour from Makati in normal traffic. The Shoe Museum on JP Rizal Street holds Imelda Marcos's surrendered collection alongside historic Philippine footwear, and is the city's best-known attraction. The Sunday market at Riverbanks runs along the park, and the old Kapitan Moy ancestral house, birthplace of the local shoe industry, is open to visitors on weekdays.

— informed by City of Marikina
— where
Philippines · Marikina, Metro Manila
— position
14.6507° N · 121.1029° 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 N
Marikina Shoe Museum
museum
1 km N
Kapitan Moy Ancestral House
historic house
2 km NW
Riverbanks Center
riverside park
12 km E
Antipolo Cathedral
basilica
N
Marikina
Marikina Shoe Museum
Kapitan Moy Ancestral House
Riverbanks Center
Antipolo Cathedral
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Marikina is known as the shoe capital of the Philippines. The trade dates to the 1880s and is still anchored in the city's old district. The Shoe Museum on JP Rizal Street is its best-known cultural landmark.

Marikina is in the eastern part of Metro Manila, along the Marikina River at the base of the Sierra Madre foothills. It is one of the sixteen cities of the National Capital Region and lies about an hour from Makati.

In September 2009, Tropical Storm Ondoy, Ketsana internationally, pushed the Marikina River well past its banks and submerged most of the city. Flood markers along the riverside walls still record that high water.

The shoe trade is traced to Don Laureano Guevara, known as Kapitan Moy, who introduced shoemaking to the town in 1887. His house on JP Rizal Street is preserved as a small museum and is open to visitors.

Marikina covers about 22 square kilometres and has roughly 450,000 residents. It is one of the smaller Metro Manila cities by area but a distinct one, set apart by the river basin and the foothills behind it.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried well for Filipino families with Marikina roots, and for shoemakers and their grown children. A Small with a handwritten studio note, or a Coaster Set for a shared kitchen, both travel easily.

The river greens, terracotta roofs, and stained-glass blues sit easily in Tropical Modern, Maximalist, and warm Filipino-coastal interiors. Against a pale wall, the long river runs across the room.

Above a sofa, the single Large reads the river the way the city does, across. For a hallway, a 4-tile Mural extends the line. The Medium suits a console or office wall.

Yes. For wet or steamy rooms, choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both resist scratching and water beading, and hold the colour where it lives.

A microfibre cloth and water are enough. No solvents, no abrasive sprays. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, beneath a thin protective finish.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is curated and finished in our Knoxville studio. We license no artwork from outside the studio, and each tile is hand-finished before it ships.

— 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.