Wender·Vista
Boise
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
in the high desert where the Snake River plain runs into the foothills

Boise

— — the river the city wraps around.

— 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 Idaho sits at the edge where sagebrush plain meets the Boise Front. The Boise River cuts the city in two, and a 25-mile greenbelt of cottonwoods follows it through downtown. A small Basque Block downtown, one of the largest such communities outside northern Spain, gives the city a quiet, particular character.

from the studio
Boise
— bring it home

Boise, 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 Boise

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

Boise is the capital and largest city of Idaho, with about 235,000 residents in the city proper and more than 800,000 in the metropolitan area. It sits at 824 metres elevation on the Boise River, where the Snake River Plain meets the Boise Front of the Rocky Mountains. The name traces to French-Canadian trappers who called the timbered valley les bois, the trees, a striking contrast to the surrounding sagebrush steppe. The Idaho State Capitol, completed in 1920, anchors a small grid of downtown blocks.

— the water

The Boise River runs roughly 164 kilometres from the Sawtooth Mountains to the Snake River. Within the city it is followed by the Boise River Greenbelt, a paved 25-mile path through cottonwoods and willows that links Lucky Peak Reservoir to the Eagle Greenbelt. Three upstream dams (Anderson Ranch, Arrowrock, and Lucky Peak) control flow for the irrigation that turned the valley into farmland in the late 19th century. The river is cold and clear most of the year, with rafters in summer and trout fishermen at the tailwaters.

— the season

Boise sits in a four-season high-desert climate. Summer temperatures often exceed 35 degrees Celsius with very low humidity, and the foothills go gold by July. Autumn turns the riverside cottonwoods deep yellow through late October. Winter snowfall is light in town, around 50 centimetres on average, but Bogus Basin ski area, 26 kilometres north, holds snow into April. Spring brings runoff and a brief, vivid green in the foothills. The dry air keeps the night sky clear; the Milky Way is visible from the rim of the city.

— where
United States · Boise, Idaho
— elevation
824 m · 2,704 ft
— position
43.6150° N · 116.2023° 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.
26 km N
Bogus Basin
ski area
16 km E
Lucky Peak Reservoir
reservoir
250 km E
Sun Valley
mountain resort
N
Boise
Bogus Basin
Lucky Peak Reservoir
Sun Valley
— common questions

What people ask.

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

French-Canadian fur trappers in the 1820s called the wooded valley les bois, the trees, a stark contrast to the surrounding sagebrush plain. The name stuck, and Boise still keeps a heavy canopy along the river.

A single downtown block along Grove Street that anchors one of the largest Basque communities outside northern Spain. It includes the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, the boarding house at No. 607, and the Jaialdi festival held every five years.

Boise sits at 824 metres (2,704 feet) above sea level on the Boise River. The foothills directly north rise to roughly 1,600 metres at the Bogus Basin ridge.

A paved, mostly off-street path that follows the Boise River for about 40 kilometres (25 miles) through the city. It connects parks, downtown, and Lucky Peak Reservoir, and is shared by walkers and cyclists.

The Idaho State Capitol was completed in 1920 in a neoclassical sandstone design by John E. Tourtellotte and Charles Hummel. It is the only U.S. state capitol heated by geothermal water.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers who grew up in the Treasure Valley or moved away for work. The skyline, foothills, and river are the three landmarks every Boisean carries. A Small or Medium travels well.

The piece reads well in Mountain-modern, Western-modern, and warm Mid-century interiors. The amber-and-sage palette holds against pine, leather, and unstained oak, and softens against pale plaster walls.

Yes. Mountain-modern decor has steadily replaced traditional rustic-cabin styling, and Boise sits in the centre of that shift along with Bozeman, Bend, and Driggs. The piece reads contemporary, not nostalgic.

A single Large carries a sofa or console table. For a longer wall a 4-tile Mural reads as one image at six feet across, and a 9-tile Mural takes a full feature wall above a sectional.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any room with steam or splash. Both finishes are scratch-resistant and wipe clean with a microfibre cloth.

A dry or barely damp microfibre cloth handles routine dust. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it does not lift or fade with ordinary cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in-house at our Knoxville studio and is not licensed from any third party. The stained-glass visual language is original to Wender Studios.

— 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.