As any startup will attest, the path to success is rarely a straight line. Take Caralarga, a Mexican maker (now) known for its stunning wall hangings. In 2011, Ana Holschneider and her husband, Luis González, opened Cervecería Hércules—a lively, open-air brewery in what used to be part of the El Hércules textile plant, a massive 150-year old complex in the outskirts of Querétaro, Mexico. 

As the brewery was getting underway, Holschneider couldn’t help but notice all of the discarded trimmings and scraps from the textile factory. A light bulb went off, and Holschneider conjured the idea for Caralarga—a brand that would transform unused cotton fabric into necklaces, earrings and apparel. That seed of an idea grew, quite literally, into the brand’s signature hand-braided wall hangings, which are now shipped all over the world, and have helped Caralarga evolve from a company of two employees to more than 60. 

“We discovered that by applying the same materials and techniques on a larger scale, we could transform these designs into stunning interior pieces,” Holschneider explains.  

Each hanging, which Caralarga calls a “long piece,” is crafted by a single artisan. The Mini Mitla, which you’re looking at here, and is now available at Crate & Barrel, takes about 13 hours to make. It weighs 10 pounds, including its iron hardware. By Caralarga’s standards, this is one of its smaller pieces–some are more than 20 feet long.