EASTERN MARKET · LINCOLN PARK · CHRS · ROWHOUSE
Rowhouse-scaled upholstery and period restoration.
Capitol Hill — Federal-period and Italianate rowhouses, dense walkable neighborhood character, the Capitol Hill Restoration Society (CHRS) anchor for preservation-minded homeowners. We cover Capitol Hill 20 minutes from the Alexandria workshop via I-395 and the 11th Street Bridge. The work scales to rowhouse furniture (smaller-format than McLean or Potomac), period-correct restoration on Federal and Italianate-period pieces, and custom drapery for tall rowhouse windows. Free pickup, free in-home consultation.
I. ROWHOUSE-SCALED MARKET
Narrow front doors. Steep stairs. Smaller-format upholstery.
Capitol Hill rowhouses — typically 12 to 18 feet wide on a 100 to 130 foot deep lot — set the furniture scale. Sofas at 72 to 84 inches (not 96 or 108), club chairs and pairs, dining tables that seat 6 to 10 (not 14 to 18), parlor-floor entertaining spaces with original plaster ceiling medallions. Front-door entry is often 30-inch with a tight 90-degree turn into the parlor; we measure access at the in-home consultation and break down pieces accordingly.
II. CAPITOL HILL HISTORIC DISTRICT
3rd to 14th Street, A St SE to G St NE.
The Capitol Hill Historic District encompasses roughly 3rd to 14th Streets and A Street SE through G Street NE. Federal-period rowhouses (1830s-1860s, the original architectural fabric), Italianate brownstones (1860s-1880s), and Victorian Queen Anne (1880s-1900) form most of the housing stock. The district is one of the larger urban historic districts in the country. Period-correct restoration on the furniture inside these homes is our natural niche.
III. CHRS + THE PRESERVATION COMMUNITY
Capitol Hill Restoration Society — active preservation community.
The Capitol Hill Restoration Society (CHRS), founded 1955, is one of the most active preservation societies in DC. CHRS members maintain architectural standards for the historic district and the community is preservation-oriented. Furniture work follows the same discipline — period-correct materials (hide glue, horsehair, hand-stitched edges, French polish), reversible methods, original surface preserved. Many of our Capitol Hill clients are CHRS members; many of the homes are CHRS-recognized properties.
IV. DESIGN COMMUNITY
Capitol Hill brownstone designers.
Designers practicing on Capitol Hill or with significant Capitol Hill portfolios include Zoe Feldman (well-documented Capitol Hill brownstone work), Lisa Shaffer, and others. The rowhouse-scaled work is its own subdiscipline — proportions, doorway access, period-correct discipline. We support the design community with COM workflow, trade-rate labor, and on-site measurement and install.
V. PICKUP + STAIRCASE TRANSPORT
20 minutes via the 11th Street Bridge. Narrow-stair logistics handled.
20-minute drive from Colvin Street via I-395 and the 11th Street Bridge. Free pickup throughout Capitol Hill for residential clients. Rowhouse staircase access is the recurring logistical challenge — narrow turns at the parlor-floor landing, steep stairs to upper floors. We break down pieces (loose-cushion sofas come apart at the seat deck, sectional bench seats remove from frames) so they fit. ZIP coverage: 20002, 20003.
Frequently asked
Rowhouse front-door delivery — does it fit?
We make it fit. Most Capitol Hill rowhouses have 30-inch front doors with a tight turn into the parlor. We measure access at the in-home consultation and break down pieces accordingly — loose-cushion sofas come apart at the seat deck, sectional bench seats remove from frames, dining tables disassemble at the apron. The pickup team handles the logistics.
Drive time and bridge route?
20 minutes from Colvin Street via I-395 and the 11th Street Bridge. Free pickup throughout Capitol Hill for residential clients. White-glove blanket-wrapped transport, 2-person teams for rowhouse pickups (one inside, one outside on the curb).
Period-correct work for Federal and Italianate rowhouses?
Our core work on Capitol Hill. Hide-glue frame stabilization, hand-stitched edge rolls, horsehair stuffing, eight-way hand-tied springs, French polish on the exposed wood, original hardware preserved. CHRS-area homes typically have inherited Federal-period furniture; the work follows the same period-correct discipline as the architecture.
Sofa won't fit up the stairs — what do you do?
Multiple options. Some sofas disassemble at the seat deck and reassemble in place (we do this regularly for parlor-floor delivery in narrow-stair rowhouses). For oversized pieces that physically cannot fit, the alternative is to build smaller — bespoke construction sized to the doorway. We evaluate at the in-home consultation and recommend.
CHRS-area member work?
Many of our Capitol Hill clients are CHRS members; the preservation-minded approach matches our workshop discipline. Period-correct restoration with documentation suitable for property files and insurance. We do not use chemical strippers, modern adhesives on period frames, or aftermarket reproduction hardware.
Designer-trade for Capitol Hill firms?
Yes — Zoe Feldman, Lisa Shaffer, and other firms with Capitol Hill portfolios engage with the workshop on COM workflow, trade-rate labor, and direct project communication. Rowhouse-scaled projects have their own proportions and access constraints; we are positioned for that.
