District Home Magazine Fall II October 2014 | Page 30

Up & Coming

Ezio Mattiace, Arte Modus

to flooring made from wood extracted from the Venice Laguna, to
office furniture to kitchen designs, Ezio has it all.
He is a self-proclaimed furniture treasure hunter and he focuses on
finding unique products to bring to the American design scene. His
design aesthetic is contemporary classic, which becomes obvious
as soon as you step into the showroom. Out on the floor, Ezio has
an office display furnished by the Italian company Tecno, a high-end
office furniture manufacturer (tecnospa.com). The desk in the set
was designed last year while the chairs by Tecno were designed in
1956 and 1963. The paring of modern pieces with classic speaks to
Ezio’s passions.
Ezio, while he sells many different types of home furnishings, flooring
and lighting, has a particular interest in kitchens. He is the regional
distributor of Arclinea (Arclinea.com), an Italian manufacturer of
kitchen cabinetry. For his own kitchen clients, he is one hundred
percent involved in the design. He quickly understands what the
client needs for their personal taste and use and then goes from
there with a full service. He imports products from Italy and creates
beautiful, unique kitchens.

Meandering down 31st street in Georgetown, with
Italian restaurants such as Ristorante Piccolo and Il
Canale lining the street, it feels as if you have been
transported to a little section of Italy in DC. It is no
surprise then to find Ezio Mattiace’s Arte Modus
nestled off of the courtyard of Canal Square. Ezio,
an Italian furniture retailer and interior designer,
who recently moved his showroom to 31st street,
loves his new location because it reminds him of
his home country, Italy. Removed from the bustle
of the busy Georgetown streets, it gives him the
space to focus on his wonderful clients.
zio arrived from Italy to the United States in 1996,
working as a project manager for a construction
company. However, even though his job was to
work on the shell of a building, he was particularly
interested in the interiors and what went inside the
walls that he helped put up. Interiors were a new world for him but
after receiving a master’s degree in business administration from
Johns Hopkins, he was sure that he wanted to use his new love
of interior design to become an entrepreneur. He started his own
company of Italian manufacturers and has been importing fabulous
Italian furniture for the past 12 years.

E

Just last year, Ezio expanded outside his original 3 companies that he
sold in his showroom. Now he represents designers and furniture
pieces from Italy, Belgium, England, and even America. From floors
identical to those that rest under Michelangelo Da Vinci in Florence
30 I SS U E NO. 9

For clients doing other sorts of home design, he is there to provide
them with ideas and purchase products. He is in constant contact
with Italian manufacturers and has three to four trips to Italy a year
to hand pick designs for his clients and his showroom.
These days Ezio remains very busy but he does not see things slowing
down anytime soon. He will be one to watch as he continues to
bring incredible and unique Italian designs to the DC area.
Photos—Top: Showroom view. Bottom: Tecno office furniture (www.tecnospa.com).
Executive office desk: Asymmetrical. Design: Piero Lissoni. Produced by Tecno in
Como, Italy. Executive Chair: Qualis. Design: Emilio Ambasz. Produced by Tecno
in Como, Italy. Guest Chairs: 142 Series. Design: Eugenio Gerli, 1966. Made by
Tecno in Como, Italy.