Drake is showing off all of the work that went into his custom-built Toronto mansion. It is just massive.
The performer appears to have spared no expense decorating his 50,000-square-foot Toronto home, which is featured in the May issue of Architectural Digest.
Drake told the magazine he wanted to erect a structure that would last 100 years, with “a monumental scale and feel.”
“Drake Manor, as envisioned by Canadian architectural and interior designer Ferris Rafauli, is a marvel of old-world craftsmanship, constructed of limestone, bronze, exotic woods and other noble materials,” reporter Mayer Rus wrote. “Every detail of the sprawling property has been meticulously conceived and executed.”
Drake’s architect, Ferris Rafauli, bedazzled the property with high-priced finishes. Everything’s covered in marble, antique mirror and bronze.
Rafauli crafted chandeliers for the mansion modeled on the iconic starburst fixtures at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The biggest light, in Drake’s living room, has more than 20,000 pieces of hand-cut Swarovski crystal and is the second-largest installation of its kind in the world.
The architect also designed Drake’s bed, which weighs a literal ton and evidently cost more than many folks’ entire homes. Its antique mirror and tufted leather headboard has a whiskey-and-champagne bar embedded in the reverse side, and the bedding features a tapestry by Alexander McQueen.
“The bedroom is where I come to decompress from the world at the end of the night and where I open my eyes to seize the day,” Drake told AD.
“The bed lets you float, the shower lets you escape and gather your thoughts, and the closet makes you want to talk to yourself while you’re getting dressed.” Well, sir, if I had a 3,200-square-foot master-bedroom suite to romp through on a nightly basis, I’d be a happy human, too.
Rafauli pulled from traditional Beaux Arts architecture when designing the home, which is also referred to as “The Embassy.
“In form, materials, and execution, the structure is a proper 19th-century limestone mansion,” Rafauli said. “But the exterior profiles are more minimal and the lines are a bit cleaner. This isn’t stucco, paint, and fake gold. That’s not what Drake wanted, and that’s not what I do.”
Drake added, “It’s overwhelming high luxury. That message is delivered through the size of the rooms and the materials and details of the floors and the ceilings. I wanted to make sure people can see the work I’ve put in over the years reflected from every vantage point.”
Rafauli’s Art Deco influences are vivid in Drake’s canary-yellow lounge is featured in his videos for “When to Say When”/“Chicago Freestyle” and the recently released “Toosie Slide.”
The article serves as the cover story for the May 2020 issue of Architectural Digest and is on stands now.
