MASTER UPHOLSTERER

Three generations of upholstery, by hand.

Antonio runs the workshop on Colvin Street. Bergerie has been family-owned since 1949 — opened in Georgetown the year Truman was sworn in for his second term, moved exactly once in seventy-five years, and operated under the same name and the same craft standards through three generations of family ownership.

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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. At the bench

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

Antonio works the bench every day. Eight-way hand-tied jute spring construction, period-correct restoration of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century pieces, French polish on mahogany and tiger oak, hand-caned and rush seats on Windsor and ladderback chairs, and fabric layout and pattern-cutting for trade clients in the DC metro. Each piece passes through his hands before it leaves the shop.

Master upholsterer's hands building a stitched edge roll on a camelback sofa frame, copper tacks and jute webbing visible, workshop interior in warm afternoon light
From the workshop

II. The standard

Every estimate in person. Every claim reviewed.

The workshop has never quoted from photos alone. Antonio sees the frame, the joinery, the existing stuffing, and the customer's room before any price is given. He also reviews the technical claims on every page of this site — every spring count, every period date, every restoration term — before it goes live. The work has to read true to the bench.

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. Reach him

Walk in, or call the shop.

Antonio is at the workshop most days. Walk-ins are welcome Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 3133 Colvin Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. The shop number is (202) 337-8727. For designer-trade accounts and commercial contracts, the principal contact is Jose Rugerio at jarugerio@bergerieupholstery.com.

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The Bergerie workshop on Colvin Street — workbench with horsehair, jute, and copper tacks, antique sofa frame mid-restoration, finishing room visible through the doorway
From the workshop