A New Chapter in Clay Imports Surface Design
At Clay Imports, every surface tells a story.
Nick Barreiro (Co-founder): We started in Austin with a simple idea: bring authentic Mexican tile into our local community. My brother and I grew up here, but our inspiration has always come from Mexico, through the places, the materials, and our own family roots.
In the early days, that story began with classic, historic materials like Saltillo terracotta and Talavera tile. From there, it expanded. Over the years, we traveled, worked directly with makers, and grew into other materials and formats, such as breeze blocks, new tile shapes, different finishes, and fresh applications for traditional craft. Along the way, we learned how to adapt these materials for contemporary spaces, adjusting size, sheen, and use while holding onto the character that made them compelling in the first place.
But after all that time working in pattern, surface, and material, it became clear that something was missing.
- Why We Started Designing Wallpaper
- In-House Design: Clay Wallpaper Printed in Austin
- Inspired by Mexican Craft and Iconography
- Explore the First Clay Imports Wallpaper Collection Pattern
- Combining Clay Imports, Wallpaper, and Tile
Why We Started Designing Wallpaper
In the United States and Europe, wallpaper has a long history. Early homes were often built from wood planks, and wallpaper served a practical purpose at first: sealing out air, covering seams, and adding a finished layer to interior walls. Over time, it became something more decorative, and today it remains one of the easiest ways to transform a room.
Mexico followed a different architectural path.
Historically, buildings were made from masonry, like adobe, clay brick, or stone. There was no need to cover walls with paper, so wallpaper never became part of the building tradition in the same way. Instead, the wall itself became the place for expression. You see it in murals, hand-painted surfaces, richly textured finishes, and spaces where color and pattern are embedded directly into the architecture.
That distinction stayed with us.
Wallpaper may be common in the U.S., but much of its visual language comes from European traditions. Motifs, repeats, and decorative codes that feel far removed from the spaces and materials that shaped Clay Imports. At the same time, more and more people are drawn to Mexican design for its warmth, boldness, and deep connection to place.
Moving into wallpaper was never a departure from what we do. It was a continuation. Clay Imports has spent years working within this design language, through tile, through pattern, through real spaces across Mexico. Wallpaper simply gives us another format for that same sensibility.
We’re translating the visual language we’ve developed into wallpaper, not as a copy of existing wallpaper traditions, but as something that has been largely absent from the category: wallpaper grounded in Mexican design.
In-House Design: Clay Wallpaper Printed in Austin
Our wallpaper collection is designed and printed in-house at our Austin studio, where we have the freedom to experiment, refine, and follow an idea until it feels fully resolved. Working close to the process means we can play with scale, adjust color, and fine-tune each pattern in a way that feels intuitive and hands-on.
We’re printing on clay-coated paper, which gives the wallpaper a soft, tactile richness that feels deeply connected to the material world we come from. It’s another way of carrying clay into the story, just in a lighter form. And because we’re producing it ourselves, we’re able to offer short lead times that make the process feel a little more immediate.
Austin shapes this work, too. It’s a city that rewards curiosity, bold ideas, and creative risk-taking, and that spirit runs through the collection.
Inspired by Mexican Craft and Iconography
Our roots are in Mexico, and that continues to shape the way we design.
Mexico is a place where visual language carries meaning. Through murals, textiles, embroidery, tilework, and everyday graphics. Across regions, communities, and histories, pattern and color become a way of telling stories, holding memory, and expressing identity.
Spring captures the romance of a classic floral, reminiscent of Mexican folk art and hip latte art - perfect for coffeeshop Bottega/Tana
That influence runs throughout this collection, from traditional embroidery and Talavera motifs to block printing, folklórico dress, architectural forms, and street patterns. These references are not just decorative touches. They’re part of the visual language we’ve been learning from, designing with, and building on from the beginning.
Explore the First Clay Imports Wallpaper Collection Pattern
Our first wallpaper release is a mix of geometric patterns, florals, and narrative designs. Each one is connected to our work in clay, but free to explore new directions.
Graphic & Geometric Patterns
Las Marcas
Inspired by our Tigre breeze block, this pattern transforms architectural stripes into a bold, rhythmic repeat. The color palettes reflect the energy of Mexico City.
Petalita
A structured pattern built from repeating petal shapes. The carved linework gives it texture, while the colorways range from subtle to bold.
Los Días
A study in repetition and time. Simple marks building into a quiet, graphic rhythm.
On The Fringe
A simple sketch evolved into a pattern shaped by illustration, repetition, and a strong sense of place, balancing organic floral forms with a composed, rhythmic structure.
Folk-Inspired & Floral Patterns
Lil Flower
A small-scale floral that feels warm and familiar, blending cottage style with Mexican folk artistry.
Margarita
Inspired by the movement of folklórico dresses, this floral balances softness with vibrant accents.
Spring
Light, airy, and expressive. A softer floral with a sense of openness and flow.
Florería
A dense, layered floral that captures the abundance of a flower market.
Silvestre
An interconnected wildflower pattern drawn from our Freno tile, reimagined into a continuous, organic repeat.
Rama
Colors and forms draw from the bold visual language of Mexican textiles and the graphic character of hand block printing, creating a pattern that feels both folkloric and fresh.
Loto
Inspired by our Lotus tile, Loto transforms the popular floral motif into a soft, repeating wallpaper pattern.
Narrative & Illustrative Designs
Conejos
A folkloric scene where Otomí-style rabbits move through Talavera-inspired patterns, florals, and suns. Playful and full of story.
Tres Tristes Tigres
Inspired by the classic Spanish tongue twister, this pattern mixes block print texture with forms influenced by Mesoamerican stone carving.
Perros de Cantina
A loose, staggered design inspired by quiet cantina afternoons. Envision street dogs, music, and summer air. Best installed with variation for a more organic feel.
Combining Clay Imports, Wallpaper, and Tile
Wallpaper gives us another way to design a space, not instead of tile, but alongside it.
There are places where tile is essential, such as bathrooms, kitchens, and floors. It’s functional, durable, and built to last. It does the hard work.
Wallpaper is where you get to play. It’s an opportunity to use that extra wall, that unexpected corner, or that open surface to tell more of the story. To bring in pattern, mood, and personality in a way that feels a little more expressive.
To make it easier, we offer suggested tile pairings online for each wallpaper design. Whether you want something tonal, graphic, or more playful, these recommendations help show which tiles work especially well with each pattern, so you can build a space that feels layered and cohesive.
It’s the same language of pattern and craft you know and love, just with more room to tell more stories.
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