shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileTanzania

on the western shore of Zanzibar, looking back at the African coast

Stone Town

— — a town the trade winds built.

— 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 coral-rag warren of Swahili houses on the western shore of Unguja, facing the African mainland across a thirty-kilometre strait. The carved doors are the city's signature – Indian, Omani, and Gujarati hands all left their marks on the lintels. At dusk the Forodhani gardens turn into a charcoal-grill market, and the call to prayer comes from a dozen directions at once.

from the studio

— bring it home

Stone Town, 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 Stone Town

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

Stone Town is the old quarter of Zanzibar City, on the western coast of Unguja Island in the Tanzanian archipelago, about 35 kilometres off the East African mainland. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, recognised as the finest surviving Swahili coastal trading town. Its history threads Omani Arab, Indian, Persian, and African strands, with the Sultanate of Zanzibar at its centre from 1856 to 1964. Today it is the cultural capital of the semi-autonomous Tanzanian region of Zanzibar.

— informed by UNESCO – Stone Town of Zanzibar

— the stone

The town is built from coral rag and lime mortar – soft, breathable, and easy to carve – which is why so many balconies and lintels have survived three centuries of monsoon weather. The carved wooden doors are the city's signature, with more than 500 catalogued examples in Indian and Arab styles; brass studs on the older doors are an Indian inheritance, originally meant to deter war elephants. The House of Wonders, Beit-al-Ajaib, completed in 1883, was the first building in East Africa to have electricity.

— informed by Wikipedia – Stone Town

— the air

Stone Town runs on the monsoon. The kaskazi wind from the northeast blows from November to March; the kusi from the southwest blows from April to October. The long rains fall from March to May, the short rains from October to December. The dhow trade that built the town's wealth followed these winds – sailing south from Oman in the kaskazi, north again in the kusi. The Forodhani gardens, on the seafront below the Old Fort, fill with grill smoke each evening when the heat eases.

— informed by Wikipedia – Monsoon of Indian subcontinent

— where

Tanzania · Zanzibar City, Unguja

— elevation

5 m · 16 ft

— position

-6.1631° S · 39.1925° 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

Forodhani Gardens

seafront market

at the lake

Old Fort

fort

at the lake

House of Wonders

palace

1 km E

Anglican Cathedral

cathedral

1 km E

Darajani Market

market

6 km W

Prison Island

island

Stone Town

Forodhani Gardens

Old Fort

House of Wonders

Anglican Cathedral

Darajani Market

Prison Island

— common questions

What people ask.

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

— about the place

On the western coast of Unguja Island, in the Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar, about 35 kilometres off the East African mainland.

The name distinguishes it from Ng'ambo, the surrounding other side of mud-and-thatch houses. The old quarter is built from coral rag, a porous limestone, and lime mortar.

Stone Town was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2000, recognised as the finest surviving example of a Swahili coastal trading town and the cultural crossroads of the Indian Ocean.

More than 500 historic doors survive, in Indian and Arab styles. The brass studs on older Indian doors were originally meant to deter war elephants on the Subcontinent.

The Sultanate of Zanzibar, established by the Omani Said bin Sultan in 1856, ruled until the 1964 revolution. The islands then merged with Tanganyika to form Tanzania.

Beit-al-Ajaib, completed in 1883 for Sultan Barghash, was the first building in East Africa with electricity and the first in Zanzibar with a passenger lift.

— about the piece in your home

For someone from Unguja, Pemba, or the wider Swahili coast, Stone Town is the home image. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note carries well.

The coral whites, brass, and ocean blues settle into Coastal-modern, Mediterranean-modern, and jewel-tone Maximalist rooms. It carries well against natural linen, rattan, and warm wood.

A single Large suits most sofas. For a wider wall, a four-tile Mural extends the seafront. For a long console, a nine-tile Mural reads as a slow Indian Ocean panorama.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splash. The Glossy finish is reserved for framed wall pieces in dry rooms.

A microfibre cloth and water. Nothing else. No solvents, no abrasives, no glass cleaner. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and does not need polishing.

Yes. Every piece is curated by Reid Wender and finished in our Knoxville studio. The visual language is ours alone, with no outside licensing.

— if this one stayed with you