SCHUMACHER · BRUNSCHWIG & FILS · PIERRE FREY · KRAVET · LEE JOFA · DONGHIA

The fabric library at Colvin Street.

Bergerie maintains a working trade fabric library at the Colvin Street workshop — six named to-the-trade fabric houses, full sample books, memo bolts on commonly-specified patterns, and direct trade-rep relationships for special-order yardage. The library is curated for what we actually build on the bench: heavy upholstery weights, durable performance fabrics, period-appropriate patterns for antique restoration, country-house wools and leathers, and the right base palettes for residential, commercial, and trade work. Visits by appointment for trade-account designers.

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Trade fabric library shelves at the Colvin Street workshop — sample books from Schumacher, Brunschwig & Fils, Pierre Frey, Kravet, Lee Jofa, Donghia
From the workshop

SCHUMACHER

Full sample books. Heritage prints and contemporary collections.

Schumacher is the deepest part of the library. Full sample books across heritage prints (Mary McDonald, the Patterson Flynn Martin overlap), modern contemporary collections, performance fabrics, and the Codarus and Pyne lines. Trade-rep relationship for special-order yardage and quick-ship inventory. Memo-bolts on the most-specified upholstery patterns kept on-site; less-specified yardage memo-shopped through the rep.

Schumacher section of the Colvin Street fabric library — quartersawn-oak shelf bay with the heritage library in colored leather slipcases (Mary McDonald oxblood-and-cream, Patterson Flynn Martin dove-gray, performance forest-green, contemporary saddle-tan, Codarus and Pyne burgundy), four open sample books fanned showing botanical chintz / hand-blocked floral / contemporary geometric / performance pebble-weave, brass-cased trade-rep direct-line telephone, faded rose-silk bergère with memo bolts
From the workshop

BRUNSCHWIG & FILS

French and European period patterns. Toile, damask, brocade.

Brunschwig & Fils for period-correct work — French and European toile, damask, brocade, the historically-grounded patterns that work on antique restoration and on Federal Revival residential rooms. Full sample books on the heritage lines; trade-rep relationship for the more obscure period yardage. Particularly relevant for our antique restoration work on Camelback sofas, wing chairs, and Federal-period upholstered pieces.

Brunschwig & Fils section of the fabric library — quartersawn-oak shelf bay with heritage slipcases in faded toile ochre, damask rose-and-forest-green, brocade oxblood-and-saddle-tan, three open sample books showing a French toile-de-Jouy in muted ochre on cream, a silk damask in faded rose, and a brocade in oxblood-and-gold, staged Camelback fragment draped in toile and a raw mahogany Federal wing chair frame fragment beside
From the workshop

PIERRE FREY

French maison heritage. Trianon, Boussac, and Le Manach overlap.

Pierre Frey covers the French maison heritage — Trianon prints, the Boussac archives, the Le Manach print library, plus the contemporary Pierre Frey lines and the Maison Pierre Frey velvets. Full sample books; trade-rep relationship for archival prints not held in stock. Common spec on country-house and embassy residential work where French period rooms are the brief.

Pierre Frey section of the fabric library — quartersawn-oak shelf bay with heritage and contemporary slipcases (Trianon prints muted ochre, Boussac archives faded rose, Le Manach oxblood-and-gold, contemporary dove-gray, Maison Pierre Frey velvets burgundy / saddle-tan / oxblood), three open heritage books showing a Trianon ochre-flower print, a Boussac pomegranates-and-leaves archival print, a Le Manach exotic-bird hand-block, three rolled velvet bolts leaned against the bay
From the workshop

KRAVET

Broad commercial + residential. Performance, contract, and decorative.

Kravet covers the widest commercial-and-residential spec range — performance fabrics for high-traffic residential and hospitality work, contract-grade for commercial, decorative lines across the residential range, and the Lee Jofa overlap (Kravet owns Lee Jofa). Full sample books across all four catalogs; memo bolts on the most-specified residential upholstery weights. Trade-rep relationship for quick-turn quotes and special-order yardage.

Kravet section of the fabric library — quartersawn-oak two-bay shelf with four catalog sub-tabs (PERFORMANCE dove-gray slipcases, CONTRACT charcoal, DECORATIVE saddle-tan, LEE JOFA burgundy overlap), four open sample books spread side by side showing a performance pebble-weave in oxblood, a contract Crypton in charcoal, a decorative chintz in ochre-and-cream, and a Lee Jofa heritage print in faded rose, brass-cased trade-rep direct-line telephone
From the workshop

LEE JOFA

Heritage prints and Threads. Cowtan & Tout overlap.

Lee Jofa for heritage and Threads lines — chintz, period-appropriate prints, hand-blocked work, the Cowtan & Tout archive (Lee Jofa owns Cowtan & Tout). Common spec on antique restoration and Federal Revival residential rooms; the Threads line covers more contemporary spec. Trade-rep relationship for archival yardage not held on-site.

Lee Jofa section of the fabric library — quartersawn-oak shelf bay with heritage slipcases (chintz oxblood-and-cream, hand-blocked prints faded rose, Cowtan & Tout archive muted ochre, Threads contemporary dove-gray-and-charcoal), three open sample books showing a Lee Jofa cabbage-rose-and-ribbon chintz, a Cowtan & Tout hand-blocked archival print on cream, and a contemporary Threads weave, raw-maple Federal slipper chair fragment draped in chintz
From the workshop

DONGHIA

Modern luxury. Velvets, wools, and textured solids.

Donghia for modern luxury — velvets, fine wools, textured solids that work on contemporary residential and high-end commercial pieces. Full sample books; trade-rep relationship for the Maharam overlap (Donghia is part of the Maharam group) and the broader Maharam contract catalog when contract specifications are required.

Donghia section of the fabric library — quartersawn-oak shelf bay with contemporary slipcases (velvets oxblood / dove-gray / forest-green, fine wools saddle-tan and charcoal, textured solids oyster and burgundy), smaller MAHARAM contract-catalog bay beside, three open sample books showing a Donghia velvet pile in oxblood, a fine merino wool in dove-gray, and a textured oyster solid, three rolled velvet bolts leaned against the bay
From the workshop

SCHEDULING A VISIT

By appointment. 30-60 minutes typical.

Visits are by appointment for trade-account designers. Email Jose at jarugerio@bergerieupholstery.com to schedule. Typical 30- to 60-minute visit covers the fabric library memo pull, a brief workshop tour, and any active-project bench-side discussion. Designers practicing in Bethesda, McLean, Georgetown, Old Town Alexandria, and Capitol Hill all visit regularly. New-account first visits include a coffee with Antonio to walk through workflow specifics.

Trade-visit scheduling alcove at the entrance to the Colvin Street fabric library — leather-bound appointment ledger open to a weekly grid with four trade-designer appointments pinned with brass tabs labeled BETHESDA, MCLEAN, GEORGETOWN, OLD TOWN, CAPITOL HILL, brass-cased candlestick rotary telephone, letterpress visit-confirmation memo, two porcelain coffee cups on a brass tray (ANTONIO and DESIGNER labels), the long oak shelf-bays receding through an archway
From the workshop

Frequently asked

Are visits open to non-trade designers or end clients?

Trade-account designers only by default. Clients of trade-account designers can be brought in by the designer for fabric pulls and workshop tours; end-client direct visits are at the designer's discretion. New-trade-account designers can schedule a first visit through the trade-account onboarding workflow.

What's in the library beyond the six named houses?

On a per-project basis we work with any to-the-trade fabric house — the six named houses are the on-site library, but designers ship COM direct from their preferred trade reps for any other house (Schoumacher, Holland & Sherry, Manuel Canovas, Cole & Son, etc.). The library is curated for the work we actually do most-often; out-of-library spec is no problem.

Can I memo-shop for an active project right now?

Yes — by appointment. Email Jose to schedule. We pull bolts in advance based on the project brief, hold memos for an in-person review, and coordinate trade-rep memo orders for anything not on-site. 30- to 60-minute appointments typically cover a full project's fabric pull.

Direct trade-rep relationships — does that mean better prices?

Not on fabric — fabric pricing is set by the trade rep and the designer's account; we do not mark up fabric. The benefit of direct relationships is faster quotes, faster memo turnaround, special-order yardage handled, and quick-ship inventory checked in real-time during a visit. Pricing benefit is on labor (designer-trade rates on active accounts), not on fabric.

How is the library curated?

For what gets built on the bench. Heavy upholstery weights for sofas and club chairs; performance fabrics for family-room and high-traffic residential; period-appropriate patterns for antique restoration; country-house wools and leathers; the right base palettes (linen, raffia, hessian, plain wool, slubbed cotton, broadloom velvet) across all six houses. Curated with the designer in mind for memo-shopping during an in-person visit.