Milano Residences built with elegance and noble cause

THE MILANO Residences is the first project interior-designed by Versace Home in Southeast Asia.

The little black dress, killer stilettos and other essentials to complete a Versace event had to take a backseat, even when Santo Versace himself, president of Versace SpA, visited Manila last July 23.

Although he was here to uphold a promise to personally visit their only Versace Home-designed project in the whole of Asia, The Milano Residences from Century Properties, Versace’s much-awaited arrival was instead celebrated with a social event that aimed at raising funds for the benefit of Operation Smile Philippines.

Operation Smile Philippines is a nonprofit organization that spearheads medical missions for poor children with facial deformities.

Team up with OSP

Century Properties managing director Robbie R. Antonio explained that while the company already has other corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects, teaming up with Operation Smile Philippines was deemed proper for the event, since this was something really close to the heart of Versace, who is currently the president of Operation Smile Italia.

“We wanted to do something related and pertinent to Mr. Versace,” Antonio said.

VERSACE HOME’S elegant interior design esthetic is evident in the Milano Residences grand lobby and pool garden.

To celebrate the arrival of Versace as well as the remarkable success achieved by the Milano Residences, which to date is considered as the fastest selling Versace project globally, Century Properties chair Jose E.B. Antonio and Robbie Antonio turned over a check donation of P250,000 to Roberto J. Manzano, president and executive director of Operation Smile Philippines.

“I am here tonight to celebrate along with you the project created with Century Properties, of which I am particularly proud: Milano Residences. It is a project that will allow future inhabitants to really know and live the Versace lifestyle,” Versace said during the event.

VERSACE HOME’S elegant interior design esthetic is evident in the Milano Residences grand lobby and pool garden.

“Versace is not just one of the most famous fashion brands in the world, but is also universally recognized as the brand that since its birth has succeeded in combining fashion and art in an indissoluble way, which had never been done before. Art, beauty and charm belong to the Versace DNA. Over a decade of expertise in interior design projects has allowed us to gain a position of leadership among the fashion brands in the home department and create extraordinarily successful projects all over the world,” Versace added.

Century Properties’ generosity did not stop with just a check donation, as the younger Antonio further pledged an additional P50,000 donation for each Milano Residences unit sold during the cocktail event that followed.

Noble cause

“We are very privileged to be reaching out to a very noble cause which is operation smile,” Antonio said.

“We are doing this in thanksgiving of the huge success of the project. The Milano Residences, since its launch last January, is close to 70 percent sold. This is attributed to the immense value that the project presents to both investors and end users. Milano has truly become not just synonymous with true luxury, but it further elevated our standards and consciousness of the essential art of luxury living,” he explained.

The Milano Residences, which is set to be completed in 2015, is the first project interior-designed by Versace Home in Southeast Asia. It is one of Century Properties’ highlights for its 25th year anniversary and a testament to the company’s promise of elevating its development platform.

(L-R) CENTURY PROPERTIES chair Jose Antonio, Versace SpA president Santo Versace and Century Properties managing director Robbie Antonio

“We believe that the Versace brand is synonymous to elegance, refinement and luxury and this is what we would like you to achieve by obtaining a unit in Milano,” Antonio said.

With 52 floors, the Milano Residences has a total of 340 units with one- to three-bedroom configurations. The interiors, amenities and all public areas will be exclusively designed by Versace Home, according to Antonio.

The building’s architecture will also complement Versace Home’s elegant “interior design esthetic,” which will be evident in the grand lobby, hallways, lounge, library, pool garden and spa. Versace Home will also create interior inspirations that residents may adopt for their own units. Buyers also have the option to purchase Versace Home items.

Asked for future plans after the success of Milano Residences, Antonio disclosed that they are currently “in talks with the Versace group for other potential opportunities and that homebuyers can expect more exciting developments” from them in the long run.