THIS COLTS NECK CONTRACTOR’S RESTLESS MIND HAS FUELED UNIQUE RENOVATIONS FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS

BY JESSICA JONES GORMAN • PHOTOS BY ROBERT NUZZIE

When Eddie Mattioli, owner and operator of IBO Construction Group in Colts Neck, plotted out the basement renovation for the New Jersey home of Drs. Sima Yakoby Epstein and Josh Z. Epstein, he got creative. Crafting an ornamental staircase out of glass and steel and smoked solid aluminum molding around all of the entryways and baseboard, the contractor gave the project a trademark stamp.

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“At the beginning of the project, the couple was unsure what design path they wanted to take,” Mattioli said. “But once I started throwing out ideas, bringing over samples that inspired me and sharing my vision, they let me take the lead…gave me full creative freedom and allowed me to do some pretty inventive design. The result was a beautifully custom finished space that is truly one of a kind.”

The 3,000 square foot renovation included the addition of a gym, wine room, and bar, each featuring Mattioli’s signature use of aluminum and steel.
“We made some custom gym lockers and custom iron shelving in the wine room,” he said. “We drove strategic holes into the aluminum molding to give it a unique look. I always find a way to include steel elements into my designs because it is a very strong material that makes a statement. If done properly, it can also look very delicate.”

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Designed entirely by Mattioli, the project, with its ornate molding and delicate ornamental shelving, was an accurate snapshot of the Colts Neck contractor’s work.

Hand & Stone SPREAD

“Whatever needed to be done, Eddie made sure it was done seamlessly and respect fully,” Sima Epstein said at the conclusion of the project.
Mattioli, who has owned IBO Construction for the past 30 years, started learning the trade when he was a kid.

“My father was a union painter and basically everyone in my family was in the construction business,” he recalled. “So, ever since I was seven or eight years old, I was on a construction site.”

Spending his summers and weekends by his father’s side, the young man learned how to work with his hands.

“I was a tinkerer,” he said. “I built my own go cart out of scrap wood when I was 10. I’ve just always had this creative mind…wanted to take things apart to figure out how they worked and then put them back together again.”

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Mattioli started painting professionally when he was 18, learning the art of faux finishes and decorative plaster. He slowly segued into construction, working on small carpentry projects before studying art at New York University and taking architecture classes at New York Institute of Technology. He launched IBO Construction when he was in his 20s.
“I called it IBO because my given name is Orazio,” Mattioli explained. “So the business started as Interiors by Orazio, but the scope of our work goes way beyond interiors.”

A general contractor, Mattioli handles remodels and renovations— everything from small residential kitchen makeovers to commercial construction.

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“I’m working on several restaurants now,” he said, detailing his work on Over Easy Kitchen in Marlboro Township, Patricia’s of Holmdel, Café Luna, and Brooklyn Baglery (other recent projects include Osteria Cucina Rustica and Fromagerie), but his most notable to date is a corporate office build out for Armani Exchange in New York City.

“It was a 40,000 square foot job that won awards for architecture and design,” Mattioli said. “I was very proud to serve as builder for that project,” adding that though his business is built entirely around referrals, he considers his wife his greatest support system.
“She takes care of everything else so that I can focus all of my attention on my clients,” he said.

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“Eddie is the most conscientious, dedicated, and attentive contractor, designer, and artist,” said Dr. Sima Yakoby Epstein. “He played so many roles as the intricacies of creation met challenges. With those, he was sometimes forced to stand in as my uncle, therapist, second husband and friend, smiling through it all.” Dr. Josh Z. Epstein added that, “from coming late at night to early in the morning to make sure everything was completed properly, he is a hands on builder and is extremely talented in design, vision, and implementation.”

One of Mattioli’s most important tasks is to consistently stay on top of industry trends.

“I’ve been working with a lot of the latest technology, using automation to make homes smarter, for example” he said. “In terms of design, everyone is taking out walls and creating open floor plans. We’re also making use of a lot of engineered and reclaimed products.”

In the future, Mattioli hopes to add as many new clients and projects to his portfolio as possible, as long as he can continue to place his personalized stamp on each and every one.

“I’m very hands on, visiting every one of my jobs every day,” he concluded. “Over the past 30 years, I’ve done a lot of renovations, but each one is special. I love being creative, walking through the space with the homeowners to see how they will live in it. It’s my goal to create spaces that they will absolutely fall in love with. The look on their faces when a job is complete…that’s always my favorite part.”

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IBO Construction Group
732.444.4792 / facebook.com/iboconstructiongroup