Wender·Vista
Freetown
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSierra Leone
on the West African coast, where the mountain meets the sea

Freetown

— the harbour the freed sailed into.

— 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 capital of Sierra Leone sits on a steep green peninsula above one of the largest natural harbours in the world. Founded in 1792 by formerly enslaved people returning to Africa, the city carries that history in its street names and its Krio. The hills hold the rain; the harbour holds the light. Observed from the studio, held in colour on the tile.

from the studio
Freetown
— bring it home

Freetown, 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 Freetown

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

Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, on the Atlantic coast of West Africa. Roughly 1.2 million people live on the steep peninsula that rises from one of the largest natural harbours in the world. The city was founded in 1792 by about 1,200 Black Loyalists from Nova Scotia, formerly enslaved people who had been promised freedom for fighting with the British during the American Revolution. The Sierra Leone Company laid out the original grid along the shore at what is now central Freetown.

— informed by Wikipedia — Freetown
— the silence

For more than two centuries the Cotton Tree, a vast kapok at the centre of the city, marked the spot where the first settlers landed and gave thanks in 1792. On the night of 24 May 2023 a storm brought the tree down. Its absence is felt across the city; the surviving trunk has been preserved at the Sierra Leone National Museum, a few hundred metres from where it stood. The peninsula's forested ridges still rise sharply above the harbour, holding their own kind of stillness.

— the water

Freetown's harbour is the Sierra Leone River estuary, a deep tidal inlet long ranked among the largest natural harbours in the world. Bunce Island, about thirty kilometres upriver, was a major slave-trading post from the late 1600s through 1808; tens of thousands of Africans were shipped from its wharves to the rice plantations of South Carolina and Georgia. Today small boats run between the city quay and Lumley Beach to the west, where the long Atlantic surf draws fishermen and weekend swimmers from across the peninsula.

— where
Sierra Leone · Freetown, Western Area
— position
8.4657° N · 13.2317° W
— 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
Cotton Tree site
historic landmark
6 km W
Lumley Beach
Atlantic beach
30 km E
Bunce Island
historic site
N
Freetown
Cotton Tree site
Lumley Beach
Bunce Island
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Freetown is the capital of Sierra Leone, on the Atlantic coast of West Africa. The city climbs a steep forested peninsula above one of the largest natural harbours in the world.

About 1,200 Black Loyalists from Nova Scotia, formerly enslaved people freed for service with the British during the American Revolution, founded Freetown in 1792 under the Sierra Leone Company.

The historic kapok at the centre of Freetown, where settlers gave thanks in 1792, was brought down by a storm on 24 May 2023. The surviving trunk is preserved at the Sierra Leone National Museum.

English is the official language. Krio, an English-based creole rooted in the speech of the original settlers, is the lingua franca and is spoken by nearly everyone in the city.

A small island about thirty kilometres up the Sierra Leone River, the site of a major British slave-trading post active from the late 1600s until 1808. Many enslaved Africans shipped from Bunce ended up on Carolina and Georgia rice plantations.

From November to April. The rains run heavy from May through October, when Freetown is one of the wettest cities in West Africa, with annual rainfall above 3,000 millimetres.

— about the piece in your home

Customers in the Sierra Leonean diaspora have chosen these tiles for parents and elders. Freetown carries a specific history that families remember. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The Atlantic blues and warm green of the peninsula suit Coastal-modern rooms, jewel-tone Maximalist interiors, and warm Minimalist palettes built around teak, brass and terracotta.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large reads from across the room. For a wider wall, a four-tile Mural opens the field; a nine-tile Mural becomes the room's centrepiece.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any space with steam or splashes; both are scratch-resistant. The Glossy finish belongs on framed wall pieces away from direct water.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. No abrasive pads, no harsh cleaners. The colour is held inside the ceramic surface, beneath a thin protective layer, so the image will not wear off.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is an original piece curated by Reid Wender and produced in our Knoxville studio. We do not license the work to other makers.

— if this one stayed with you

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