Wender·Vista
Lusaka
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileZambia
on the high plateau of south-central Africa

Lusaka

— — a city under purple jacaranda each October.

— 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

“Lusaka has been Zambia's capital since 1935, when the British colonial administration moved the seat from Livingstone. The city sits at about 1,280 metres on the central African plateau, which keeps it dry and temperate most of the year. Each October, before the rains return, the older streets bloom heavy with jacaranda. The long avenues read as corridors of pale violet for a few weeks.

from the studio
Lusaka
— bring it home

Lusaka, 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 Lusaka

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

Lusaka sits at roughly 1,280 metres on the central African plateau, in the south of Zambia. The metropolitan area holds about 3.3 million residents and serves as the country's political, financial, and commercial centre. The city was laid out as the colonial capital from 1935, replacing Livingstone, and grew rapidly after Zambian independence in 1964. Cairo Road still runs as the spine of the original grid, with the National Assembly and presidential offices to its east.

— informed by Wikipedia — Lusaka
— the season

Lusaka runs three seasons rather than four. The cool dry season lasts from May through August, with night temperatures dropping near 10°C and clear daytime skies. September through November is hot and dry, building toward the rains. The wet season runs December through April, delivering most of the city's roughly 800 millimetres of annual rainfall in afternoon storms. Jacaranda bloom heaviest in October, just before the first rains break.

— the air

Lusaka's altitude keeps mosquito pressure low compared with lower-elevation Zambia, and the city is generally outside the malaria-transmission belt that runs along the Zambezi valley. Daytime temperatures average 22-28°C across the year, with low humidity outside the rainy months. The high-plateau setting also gives the city long, clear evenings and the high-contrast skies that make the jacaranda colour read so strongly in October.

— where
Zambia · Lusaka, Lusaka Province
— elevation
1,280 m · 4,199 ft
— position
-15.4167° S · 28.2833° 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.
200 km W
Kafue National Park
national park
150 km SE
Lower Zambezi National Park
national park
N
Lusaka
Kafue National Park
Lower Zambezi National Park
— common questions

What people ask.

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

In 1935, when the British colonial administration of Northern Rhodesia moved the capital from Livingstone. Lusaka was chosen for its central location on the railway and its cooler plateau climate.

Jacarandas were planted along Lusaka's main avenues during the early colonial-era city plan, beginning in the 1930s. They bloom each October, lining the older streets in pale violet for several weeks before the rains.

About 1,280 metres above sea level, on the central African plateau. The altitude keeps the climate temperate and largely outside the malaria-transmission belt that runs along the lower Zambezi valley.

The metropolitan area holds about 3.3 million people, making it one of the faster-growing capitals in southern Africa. The official municipal boundary holds a smaller share of that total.

The cool dry season from May through August has clear daytime skies and comfortable temperatures. Late October catches the jacaranda bloom, just before the rains arrive in November.

— about the piece in your home

It's a meaningful gift for Zambians abroad and for anyone who has lived in or visited Lusaka. The October jacaranda is one of the city's most carried memories. A Small or Medium with a studio note carries well.

The violet jacaranda and warm earth tones pair well with Bohemian, Warm-modern, and Earthy-Maximalist rooms. The piece sits beside terracotta, brass, and unfinished wood.

A single Large suits a console wall. Above a standard sofa a four-tile Mural reads better, and a nine-tile Mural anchors a longer wall.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and moisture-tolerant. The Glossy finish is intended for framed wall display rather than wet rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it will not lift or fade with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in-house by the studio's curator, Reid Wender, in a single visual language we use across the whole atlas. No licensed or stock imagery is involved.

— if this one stayed with you

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