Restoring furniture for future generations
About me
My name is Aaron Albright. I am based in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and I specialize in the restoration and conservation of period furniture.
After more than two decades in the political and corporate world, I redirected my focus toward a long-standing passion: bringing neglected historic furniture back into use while preserving its material integrity and history for future generations.
The Washington, D.C. region is rich in overlooked and underappreciated pieces. Much of my time is spent sourcing furniture from local antique centers, regional auctions, and private marketplaces—often pieces that have been forgotten or improperly treated and require careful, historically informed restoration.
The most rewarding part of this work is placing a finished piece with a new owner who understands its history, craftsmanship, and quiet presence—and intends to live with it for many years to come.
Driven by tradition
I have spent the past several years studying and applying period-appropriate repair and restoration methods, working primarily with hand tools and historically consistent finishing techniques. My approach favors materials and processes that would have been familiar to the original maker.
Shellac, linseed oil, and tung oil finishes; hand planes; cabinet scrapers, — practical tools chosen for their compatibility with historic furniture and their proven longevity.
“Flipping” and “upcycling” have no place in my work. Restoration, when done properly, requires time, restraint, and careful judgment. Rather than forcing a result, I allow the piece itself to guide the process, letting the finished work reflect both its history and my philosophy.
An understanding of design history is integral to bringing furniture back into daily use. My primary focus is on handmade period furniture, and well-executed revival work, from Britain and America, spanning the 17th through 19th centuries. While this is the foundation of my practice, I remain equally engaged by other traditions and styles where craftsmanship, intent, and material integrity are clearly present.
“Aaron has a gift. His restoration of this 1840s cherry work table is remarkable.”
—Etsy Customer