The door to the studio is easy to miss. It sits on a side street in San Miguel de Allende, tucked behind a riot of bougainvillea—the kind of place you only find if you already know where you're going. Last year, I made the trip to meet with the artisans and finalize the finishing touches on our Casa Zuma CLAY collection. When I stepped through the doors into the creative studio, I felt an immediate exhale.
This is where the CLAY collection was born. Not in a boardroom, not in a trend report—but here, surrounded by gorgeous, colorful tiles with the scents of molé coming from the kitchen and strong coffee ready to be poured.
images by Michelle Nash
The team at Clay Imports has been working with ceramic tile most of their lives. What they do is less about manufacturing and more about artistry. And when it comes to our dinnerware collection, it’s unhurried and precise. The rim of a plate is shaped by instinct. The curve of a pitcher spout is tested, over and over, until it's right.
We spent months refining shapes together, and I couldn’t be more excited about the new pieces we’ve created. The new CLAY platter—wide and low, with a rim just deep enough to hold a pooling of olive oil or a scattering of salt—went through variations before it was just right. For the pitcher, we wanted a weight that sat well in the hand, a profile that looked as natural on a breakfast table as it does on a shelf.
And then there’s the new color in our signature dinnerware collection, Stone. A gray that’s too warm to be called gray, with a soft patina and speckling inspired by nature. I shared my inspiration and the team translated it into a gorgeous glaze that shifts in the light, matte in the shadows, almost luminous in the sun. Paired with the existing CLAY silhouettes, Stone feels like it’s always been part of the collection. Timeless.
Every piece is made by hand and one of a kind. Each unique detail is proof of its authenticity. That it was made in San Miguel, at the hands of someone who brought care and intention to the process.
