Wender·Vista
Lehigh Valley
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
in eastern Pennsylvania, between the Poconos and Philadelphia

Lehigh Valley

— the valley the steel taught how to stand.

— 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

“A stretch of eastern Pennsylvania along the Lehigh River, holding the three small cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton within ten miles of each other. The Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces still stand against the southern skyline, dark and tall and quiet now, ringed by a music venue and a public arts campus that grew up in the mill's footprint after the company closed in 2003.

from the studio
Lehigh Valley
— bring it home

Lehigh Valley, 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 Lehigh Valley

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

The Lehigh Valley is the metropolitan region of eastern Pennsylvania centred on the Lehigh River, a tributary of the Delaware. Its three principal cities — Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton — sit within ten miles of one another along the river, with a combined metro population near 870,000 at the 2020 census. The valley is bound on the north by Blue Mountain and on the south by South Mountain. It lies roughly halfway between Philadelphia and the Pocono Plateau, on the main interstate corridor running west out of New York and northern New Jersey.

— the stone

Bethlehem Steel ran on the south bank of the Lehigh River from 1857 until the plant closed in 2003. At its height the company was the second-largest steelmaker in the United States and the source of structural steel for the Chrysler Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the locks of the Panama Canal. Five blast furnaces, the tallest reaching 270 feet, remain on the site, now anchoring the SteelStacks arts campus and the ArtsQuest festivals that took over the grounds in 2011. The stacks are floodlit at night in a slow rotation of colour.

— the year

Musikfest, held in Bethlehem for ten days each August, draws close to a million attendees across sixteen stages — about half on the SteelStacks campus beneath the old blast furnaces, half across the river in the colonial-era Moravian district. The festival began in 1984 as part of the city's response to the decline of the steel industry. The Christmas City celebrations in December centre on the same Moravian district, which has been continuously inhabited since the town was founded by Moravian settlers on Christmas Eve, 1741.

— where
United States · Lehigh and Northampton counties, Pennsylvania
— elevation
73 m · 240 ft
— position
40.6259° N · 75.3705° 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.
95 km S
Philadelphia
city
50 km N
Pocono Mountains
highland
130 km E
New York City
city
N
Lehigh Valley
Philadelphia
Pocono Mountains
New York City
— common questions

What people ask.

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

In eastern Pennsylvania, along the Lehigh River between Blue Mountain and South Mountain. The metro area covers Lehigh and Northampton counties, roughly halfway between Philadelphia and the Pocono Plateau.

The three principal cities are Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, all within ten miles of one another along the river. The combined metro population was about 870,000 at the 2020 census.

A steelmaker that ran on the south bank of the Lehigh from 1857 until 2003, at its height the second-largest in the country, supplying structural steel for the Chrysler Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Panama Canal locks.

The SteelStacks arts campus, opened in 2011 and run by ArtsQuest. Five blast furnaces remain in place, floodlit, with a music venue, an outdoor stage, and PBS-affiliate studios at their base.

A ten-day music festival held in Bethlehem each August across sixteen stages, drawing close to a million attendees. It began in 1984 as part of the city's response to the decline of the steel industry.

Moravian settlers founded the town on Christmas Eve, 1741, naming it Bethlehem on the spot. The colonial Moravian district remains the centre of the city's December celebrations.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for steelworker families, Lehigh and Lafayette alumni, and Moravian-district residents. A Coaster or Small with a studio note travels easily; a Medium frames the stacks at desk scale.

The piece suits Industrial-modern, Mid-century, and Mountain-modern rooms. The Voynich palette holds against blackened steel, brick, reclaimed oak, and warm brass hardware.

The subject matter aligns directly with the industrial-modern lineage, alongside Edison bulbs, exposed brick, and steel shelving. The piece reads as place-specific rather than generic loft art.

Above a standard three-seat sofa, a single Large reads from the room, a 4-tile Mural fills the wall, and a 9-tile Mural becomes the wall. Above a console, a Medium.

Yes. Order Dura Satin or Matte for any wet or steam-prone area. Both are scratch-resistant and read softer than the Glossy finish used for framed wall pieces.

A dry microfibre cloth handles dust. For kitchen or bath installations, a damp microfibre with plain water clears film. Avoid abrasive pads and ammonia cleaners.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is original to the studio, hand-finished in Knoxville, Tennessee, and not licensed from any third-party artist or stock library.

— 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.