3133 COLVIN STREET · ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314
The workshop on Colvin Street.
An open bench floor, a fabric room, a finishing room, and the original tools the family has worked from since 1949. Walk-ins welcome.
I. The bench floor
Where the upholstery is built.
The main bench floor is where every sofa, every chair, every ottoman is stripped to the frame, re-glued, re-webbed with eight-way jute springs, hand-tied, edged, padded, and finished. The benches are the same ones the founding generation worked from in 1949 — the leather work surfaces show seventy-five years of pattern-cutting marks. Customers are welcome to walk through. Antonio gives the tour himself when he is in the shop, which is most days.
II. The fabric room
Trade-only library, designer-grade.
The fabric library carries memo samples and bolts from Schumacher, Brunschwig & Fils, Pierre Frey, Kravet, Lee Jofa, and Donghia. Trade clients use the room by appointment. Customer's-own-material (COM) work is logged, photographed, condition-reported, and yardage-confirmed in the same room before it goes to the cutting table.
III. The finishing room
French polish, wax, hide glue.
The finishing room is where antique frames are re-glued, re-pegged, French-polished by hand, and finish-revived. We do not strip or dip antique furniture in chemical tanks — period-correct restoration uses hand-stripping, hand-sanding, and shellac- or wax-based finishes. The room smells like alcohol and beeswax. The work is slow and it does not destroy what the piece was.
IV. Hours
Walk in any weekday or Saturday.
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sunday. Bring photos and rough dimensions if you have a piece you want to discuss — a written estimate follows in-person assessment. The number is (202) 337-8727.
Visiting the workshop
Where exactly is the workshop?
3133 Colvin Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 — in the Cameron Run / Eisenhower Valley area, just inside the Beltway. Free street parking and loading area.
Can I just walk in?
Yes. Walk-ins are welcome Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bring photos and dimensions if you have a piece you want to discuss.
Can designers bring clients to the workshop?
Yes — by appointment. The fabric library and showroom are arranged for designer-trade visits. Call Antonio directly at (202) 337-8727 to schedule.
Do you offer pickup?
Yes — free pickup and delivery throughout the DC metro for residential clients. Larger pieces and antiques receive blanket-wrapped, white-glove transport.
