gaudy McMansions owned by Cribs? The Toronto house of Aubrey Drake Graham is distinctive. Drake’s 50,000-square-foot estate features a 21-square-foot pyramidal roof above an NBA-sized indoor basketball court.

 

 

 

Drake Manor, created by Canadian architect and interior designer Ferris Rafauli, is a magnificent example of traditional workmanship, crafted from noble materials such as bronze, exotic woods, and marble. The large estate was carefully planned and built. There are no posters of Scarface.

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Condensed and abstracted Beaux-Arts architecture gives the Embassy a more contemporary vibe. The structure is a limestone palace from the 19th century. Owner of a luxury design/build company in Ontario, Rafauli, claims that the external profiles are cleaner and have simpler lines. “No paint, stucco, or faux gold.” Neither Drake nor I wish for it.

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Drake’s favorite room is his 3,200-square-foot master bedroom suite, which includes 1,100 square feet of covered terraces. He states, “I go to the bedroom at night to unwind and where I wake up to embrace the day.” You can float on the bed, retreat and reflect in the shower, and have private conversations with yourself while getting dressed in the closet.

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God is in the details, always. Rafauli’s new Hästens Grand Vividus foundation and bed are more expensive than many people’s houses and weigh one tonne. Beside the channel-tufted leather and antique mirror on the headboard is a whiskey and champagne bar. Mother-of-pearl nightstands and an Alexander McQueen hummingbird tapestry from The Rug Company adorn the bedding.