EST. MCMXLIX

Three generations at the same bench.

Bergerie Upholstery has been hand-tying springs and restoring antique furniture in the Washington metropolitan area since 1949 — three generations under the same family, in the same craft, working at the same bench standard.

Visit the Workshop Meet Antonio
Master upholsterer at a hand-tied spring bench in a Federal-period workshop interior, brass desk lamp lighting the work, oxblood-and-cream upholstery pieces in mid-restoration on benches around him, walnut tools and brass-handled awls organized on a wall pegboard above the bench
From the workshop

I. The shop

Opened in Georgetown the year Truman was sworn in for his second term.

Bergerie has moved exactly once in seventy-five years. The first shop was in Georgetown — a corner workspace where the family hand-tied springs, cut horsehair stuffing, and stitched edges by hand for the Federal townhouses of the neighborhood and the embassies upriver. The current workshop on Colvin Street in Alexandria carries the same benches, the same hide-glue pots, and the same hand tools the founding generation worked from. Customers who came in 1962 still recognize them.

Two hands hand-tying eight-way jute springs on a sofa frame in a workshop interior, period sash window with natural daylight, the same eight-way hand-tied technique Bergerie has used since 1949
From the workshop

II. The craft

Eight-way hand-tied. Period-correct. By hand.

We hand-tie eight-way jute springs because that is what holds a sofa together for forty years. We restore antique frames with hide glue, hand-stitched edges, and horsehair stuffing because period-correct work is the only kind of restoration that does not destroy what the piece was. We cut every fabric pattern by hand against the grain of the cloth. None of this is faster than the modern alternative — it is just better.

Hands applying French polish to a Federal-period mahogany table surface with a folded cotton rubber pad, raw shellac and alcohol mixed in a small dish, mahogany grain visible under the wet finish in warm workshop light
From the workshop

III. Where we work

Northern Virginia, the District, and Maryland.

We pick up and deliver across the DC metro — Old Town Alexandria, Georgetown, Capitol Hill, McLean, Great Falls, Bethesda, Potomac, Middleburg. In-home consultations are no charge for pieces too large or too fragile to transport. Designers in the trade work with us by appointment at the Colvin Street showroom; commercial buyers — restaurants, hotels, private clubs, retail, corporate — work directly with Antonio.

Fabric library shelf bay at the Colvin Street workshop showroom with leather-slipcased sample books and folded fabric swatches organized by trade house, brass library lamp, designer-trade workspace where appointments are received
From the workshop

What people ask us

How long has Bergerie been in business?

Since 1949. Founded in Georgetown, moved exactly once in seventy-five years to the current workshop at 3133 Colvin Street in Alexandria, Virginia. Three generations of the same family have run the shop.

Who runs the workshop today?

Two people anchor the operation. Jose Rugerio is the registered owner of Bergerie Upholstery and is the principal contact for designer-trade accounts, commercial and hospitality contracts, and business inquiries — reach him at jarugerio@bergerieupholstery.com. Antonio is the master upholsterer at the bench — most Yelp and Houzz reviews reference him by name. Either way you reach the workshop, the call goes through (202) 337-8727.

What kind of work do you specialize in?

Two main lines: bespoke upholstery (sofas, sectionals, chairs, headboards) with eight-way hand-tied spring construction, and antique furniture restoration of 18th- and 19th-century pieces using period-correct materials. We also do residential soft goods (drapery, Roman shades, slipcovers, cushion replacement) and commercial / hospitality reupholstery.

Do you serve clients outside Northern Virginia?

Yes. We work throughout the DC metro — DC, Maryland, and all of Northern Virginia. Pickup and delivery is included for residential clients in the area; in-home consultations are no charge for NoVA, DC, and Maryland. Further travel is by arrangement.