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Austin-Based Clay Imports Launches Its First Wallpaper Collection Inspired by Mexican Design

Known for handcrafted tile and home goods, the company's debut line features geometric, floral and narrative patterns printed on clay-coated paper

A rendering of Clay Imports’ Loto Chihuahua wallpaper in a bedroom setting. (Rendering courtesy of Clay Imports)
A rendering of Clay Imports’ Loto wallpaper in a bedroom. (Rendering courtesy of Clay Imports)

Austin-based Clay Imports, known for its handcrafted terracotta tiles, breeze blocks and home goods, has launched its first wallpaper collection, extending the company’s Mexican-inspired design language into a new category. The debut line features geometric, floral and narrative patterns printed on clay-coated paper and produced in-house at the company’s North Lamar warehouse.

Founded in 2012 by brothers Zac and Nick Barreiro, Clay Imports has built its reputation on products crafted in Mexico and designed in Austin. The new wallpaper collection draws from the same visual influences that have shaped the company’s tile work, including murals, textiles, embroidery, Talavera motifs, folklórico dress and architectural forms.

For CEO Nick Barreiro, the launch responds to both a growing interest in wallpaper and a broader appetite for Mexican-inspired interiors. He said the move also came from recognizing a gap in the market: while Mexican design has long shaped tile, textiles and architecture, it has had far less visibility in wallpaper. “Our hope now is to give people this option to incorporate, so people want to use wallpaper and maybe they have a colorway in mind, but now they have the option of using these Mexican inspired motifs and patterns,” he said.

A rendering of Clay Imports’ Petalita wallpaper in a children’s bedroom. (Rendering courtesy of Clay Imports)
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A rendering of Clay Imports’ Petalita wallpaper in a children’s bedroom. (Rendering courtesy of Clay Imports)
A rendering of Clay Imports’ Loto wallpaper in a dining room. (Rendering courtesy of Clay Imports)
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A rendering of Clay Imports’ Loto wallpaper in a dining room. (Rendering courtesy of Clay Imports)
A rendering of Clay Imports’ On the Fringe wallpaper in a bathroom. (Rendering courtesy of Clay Imports)
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A rendering of Clay Imports’ On the Fringe wallpaper in a bathroom. (Rendering courtesy of Clay Imports)
A rendering of Clay Imports’ Margarita wallpaper. (Rendering courtesy of Clay Imports)
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A rendering of Clay Imports’ Margarita wallpaper. (Rendering courtesy of Clay Imports)
A rendering of Clay Imports’ Rama wallpaper. (Rendering courtesy of Clay Imports)
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A rendering of Clay Imports’ Rama wallpaper. (Rendering courtesy of Clay Imports)

Mexican-inspired design

Barreiro said that absence is tied in part to architectural history. “Mexico, unlike the United States, does not have a history with wallpaper,” he said, noting that masonry construction in Mexico never created the same need for wallpaper that wood-framed interiors did in the U.S. “The one wallpaper aesthetic that did not exist or is not by any means prominent was Mexican.”

At the same time, he said interest in Mexican design has steadily grown. “We certainly have seen a huge increase in the last decade of people wanting to incorporate some type of a Mexico or modern Mexico aesthetic into their homes,” Barreiro said. With wallpaper demand also on the rise, he said the company saw an opportunity “to combine those two things and create a Mexican product, Mexican style wallpaper.”

The collection is printed on a heavy, recyclable architectural drafting-grade paper coated in clay resin, giving it a soft matte texture. Clay Imports says the wallpapers are designed to complement tile rather than replace it, and the company offers suggested tile pairings online to help customers create layered interior schemes.

Clay Imports’ Conejos Cenote wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)
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Clay Imports’ Conejos Cenote wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)
Clay Imports’ Rama Seasalt wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)
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Clay Imports’ Rama Seasalt wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)
Clay Imports’ Las Marcas Atole wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)
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Clay Imports’ Las Marcas Atole wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)
Clay Imports’ On The Fringe wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)
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Clay Imports’ On The Fringe wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)
Clay Imports’ Margarita wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)
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Clay Imports’ Margarita wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)
Clay Imports’ Floreria Cider wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)
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Clay Imports’ Floreria Cider wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)
Clay Imports’ Conejos Mocha wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)
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Clay Imports’ Conejos Mocha wallpaper. (Courtesy of Clay Imports)

Locally made

The line is also one of the company’s most locally produced offerings. Barreiro said access to advanced printing equipment and technical support in Central Texas helped keep production in Austin.

Even so, the new category has brought a learning curve. “It’s been challenging for us because it’s the first time that Clay Imports is selling a product that did not have, it did not exist in Mexico before we started selling it,” Barreiro said.

The first collection includes 40 wallpaper options — a small fraction of the company’s more than 2,500 tile offerings — leaving ample room for future expansion.

Beyond the product itself, Barreiro said he hopes customers take time to learn the meaning behind the patterns, many of which are rooted in Mexican folklore, history and craft traditions. Clay Imports offers educational resources online and also hosts workshops and information sessions at its North Lamar space.

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