Wender·Vista
Spada Lake reservoir
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileWashington
in the Sultan River basin east of Everett, Washington

Spada Lake reservoir

— — the quiet reservoir most of Everett drinks from.

— 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

“Spada Lake holds the water Everett drinks. The reservoir sits behind Culmback Dam in the Sultan Basin, in restricted-access watershed managed by Snohomish County PUD and the City of Everett. The dam was built in 1965 and raised in 1984 to its current 262-foot height. Only a small portion is open for trout fishing in season; the rest is forest and held water.

from the studio
Spada Lake reservoir
— bring it home

Spada Lake reservoir, 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 Spada Lake reservoir

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

Spada Lake is a reservoir on the Sultan River, about thirty miles east of Everett in Snohomish County, Washington. Culmback Dam, completed in 1965 and raised to its present 262-foot height in 1984, impounds the lake at roughly 1,450 feet of elevation. The reservoir supplies drinking water to Everett and surrounding communities and also feeds the Henry M. Jackson Hydroelectric Project. Most of the lake lies inside the Sultan Basin Watershed, which is closed to general public access; a designated recreation zone on the south arm is open seasonally.

— the water

Spada Lake stores water for two purposes at once. The Henry M. Jackson Hydroelectric Project draws from the reservoir to generate up to 111 megawatts of electricity, and the City of Everett pulls drinking water from the same impoundment, treating it at the Lake Chaplain facility downstream. The Sultan River below the dam runs cold and clear and continues to support a wild steelhead and salmon population, with regulated flow releases tuned to fish needs. The lake's level shifts seasonally with snowpack and demand.

— the silence

Most of Spada Lake is closed to the public to protect drinking-water quality. The open recreation zone on the south arm allows non-motorized boats — kayaks, canoes, rowboats — and small electric motors only, during a fishing season that typically runs late spring through autumn. Cell coverage is thin, the road in is mostly gravel, and the shoreline is timbered and unbuilt. There are no permanent residences on the lake. What this means in practice is one of the quietest large bodies of water in Snohomish County.

— where
United States · Snohomish County, Washington
— elevation
442 m · 1,450 ft
— position
47.9667° N · 121.7000° 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.
25 km SW
Sultan
town
at the lake
Sultan River
river
15 km S
Wallace Falls State Park
state park
50 km W
Everett
city
N
Spada Lake reservoir
Sultan
Sultan River
Wallace Falls State Park
Everett
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Spada Lake reservoir — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

A reservoir on the Sultan River in Snohomish County, Washington, impounded by Culmback Dam. It supplies drinking water to the City of Everett and powers the Henry M. Jackson Hydroelectric Project.

Most of the lake is closed to protect drinking-water quality. A designated recreation area on the south arm opens seasonally for non-motorized boating and trout fishing under Snohomish County PUD rules.

Culmback Dam is 262 feet tall as of the 1984 raise. It was originally built in 1965 at a lower crest elevation and raised to provide additional storage and hydropower head.

The reservoir is stocked with rainbow and cutthroat trout, with seasonal catch limits set by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The Sultan River below the dam carries wild steelhead and salmon.

No. Only non-motorized craft and small electric motors are permitted in the open recreation zone. The restriction protects water quality for downstream drinking-water treatment.

— about the piece in your home

It often lands well. Many longtime residents know Spada by name without ever having stood on its shore. The piece honours the quiet utility of a working reservoir.

Pacific Northwest modern, cabin-modern, and biophilic interiors all carry it. The forested greens and water-blacks settle against cedar paneling and against muted greys without competing for attention.

A single Large covers a standard sofa wall. For broader walls the 4-tile Mural opens the shoreline; a 9-tile Mural carries the whole basin at gallery scale.

Yes. Order Dura Satin or Matte for installations where steam or splash is expected. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is all the surface needs. Skip ammonia and abrasive pads. The colour lives in the ceramic itself, beneath a thin glossy finish.

— 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.