Real estate maverick goes for sleek, simple spaces

Last Christmas marked realtor Gab Perez’s first year in his bachelor’s pad. His unit at Angelica Manor in San Antonio Village, Ortigas, Pasig City, is a testament to his success as a young entrepreneur.

At 23, and just two years out of college, he already runs Green Asia Real Estate and Development.

Angelica Manor was Green Asia’s first foray into the real estate business, and the soon-to-be-launched Privato Tower is his first venture in the condotel concept.

Perez maintains the flat at Angelica Manor as a bachelor’s pad where he entertains friends, although he did use it extensively during his Masteral classes at Ateneo Rockwell. It was closer to school than the Quezon City family home. But with the Perez residence now an empty nest, he finds himself living there most of the time to keep his parents company.

“I come from a tight-knit family, and I enjoy spending time with them,” he says. His flat reflects his aesthetic philosophy: it’s clean, stark and crisp.

White makes his unit look bigger than its 69-sq-m floor area. The furniture is apt—a white modular sofa on one side and an entertainment console right in front of it. The throw pillows are covered in black, while the center tabletop is also made of black Emperador marble. The flatscreen TV and DVD player enhance the immaculate display case.

On the other side of the room, a dining table for six delineates the dining area. Everything is spic-and-span. The table has a contemporary base in white, while all the seats are upholstered in white leather. Behind it is a mirrored sliding door opening to a cozy kitchen.

The unit has three rooms. The master’s bedroom has a queen-size bed and vanity side tables. A black, upholstered panel stretches from ceiling to floor, serving as the headboard. It breaks the room’s monochromatic look. Lighting comes from the panels behind the bed and the recessed ceiling.

Two other rooms serve as Perez’s mini-gym and spare room.

The space is small and the fixtures are sleek yet basic, but then how much furniture does a gentleman really need nowadays? By keeping clutter to a minimum and utilizing mirrored panels throughout the unit, Perez is able to create a sense of space.

Angelica Manor served as his crash course in real estate development. He wore a number of hats in this endeavor: developer, contractor, purchasing officer, interior planner, and even sales and marketing head. It was a one-man affair. “My dad wanted to guide me throughout the project’s duration,” he says. “But after three construction meetings, he felt that I had gotten the hang of it and decided to give me full control to work it all out.”

He didn’t feel like his dad abandoned him in the middle of the project, though. He says they were raised that way. His dad is a civil engineer and industrialist, while his mom is a pediatrician. His siblings have their own professions.

“We grew up tending to our own affairs,” he says. “That’s why I quickly adapted to working independently.”

Perez found himself in the real estate business by accident. Learning that his parents had no immediate plan for the empty lot that the family owned, he developed his own plan for a mid-rise property. Although he did internship work for Discovery Suites and Sta. Lucia Realty, none of these stints completely prepared him for the actual nitty-gritty of the industry.

While he was not formally trained in construction, he would look at showrooms and display units to see what was in vogue in real estate design. This gave him an idea of the treatments and fixtures to use if and when he finally had his own building. The construction part of the business was what he learned on the job.