Ferris Rafauli is a 39 year old Oakville, Ontario based architectural designer focusing on the luxury design market, especially mega-mansions. Rafauli's client list is mainly celebrities and businesspeople.[1]

Career

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Ferris Rafauli gained his expertise in architecture from his father and worked on his first house at the age of 17.[2] Rafauli's main work is building custom mansions in Canada, including Oakville, Ancaster, and Bridle Path. His mansions average around 12,000 sq. ft. and are priced between 5 Million USD to 35 Million USD.[3] In order to stay in control of his projects, Rafauli only takes on four to five mansion commissions per year.[4]

Notable Projects

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Drake's Mansion

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The Canadian rapper Drake is said to be one of Rafauli's clients. As of March 2017 the 21,000 sq. ft. Mansion in the city of Bridle Path was still under construction. The mansion allegedly has a basketball court, a rooftop covered terrace for a hot tub and a basement swimming pool. The mansion has 5 bedrooms including a master bedroom, each bedroom has its own en suite bathroom and the master bedroom has two separate dressing rooms along with its own steam shower. The exterior of the mansion evokes the style of the Palace of Versailles.

The project has some issues with the cities rules and regulations as the mansion does not meet some of the city's zoning laws and regulation. The driveway to the mansion is said to exceed the the maximum width allowed and the height of the mansion is also 6 meters above the now permitted height.[5]

Neither the rapper nor the designer have confirmed the information of this project. However On March 18 2017 Rafauli shared a video of the alleged mansion on his social media page on Instagram and tagged Drake on the post.[6] When asked about his relationship to Drake, Rafauli said "I guess you could say we bonded over our love for the finer things."[7]

Randall Residences

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The Randall Residences is an upscale condominium building in Downtown Oakville, Ontario. As of March 2017, the construction has reached roof and has sold 70% of the units.[8] The design inspiration of this project was the architecture of the late 1800 French Beaux Arts.[9] Rafauli was chosen as the interior designer and decorator of the common areas and condos[10], each suite is finished with Rafauli's signature cabins, gloss paint and mirrored finishes.[11]

Bavaria Lounge for BMW:

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In 2016 BMW opened their Bavaria Lounge in Brompton, Ontario. The Bavaria Lounge is a life-style creation created for BMW's clients, located on the second floor of the Policaro BMW dealership.[12] The lounge features designs that reflect Rafauli's work. The Policaro family specifically chose Rafauli as the designer of the lounge, the general manager of Policaro BMW Francesco A. Policaro said, “We wanted a designer who could help us envision a space that was both exclusive and welcoming, the same way our vehicles are. Ferris Rafauli and his team truly delivered on that.”[13]

References

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  1. ^ Panetta-Kerr, Simona (2016). "Golden Boy Ferris Rafauli". Dolce.
  2. ^ Stren, Olivia (31 January 2009). "No Day Off; Despite the economy, it's still mega-mansions for this confessed '7 a. m. to midnight kind of guy'". National Post Toronto Edition.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. ^ Wintrob, Suzanne (2016). "Made to please; Design/Build Firms Vie For The Best Clients By Giving Them Their Best". National Post.
  4. ^ Wintrob, Suzanne (2004). "Millions on the line: Spec builders rely on their good taste to turn a tidy profit". National Post.
  5. ^ Gray, Jeff (2016). "Real Estate; Drake behind the new Bridle Path mansion". The Globe and Mail.
  6. ^ Matera, Avery (22 March 2017). "Drake's 21,000-Square-Foot Mansion in Toronto Is Captured by Drone Video". Architectural Digest.
  7. ^ Shea, Courtney (12 February 2016). "Meet the man behind Drake's personal party palace: Ferris Rafauli". The Globe and Mail.
  8. ^ "The Randall Residences". Randall Residences.
  9. ^ "The Randall Residences". Randall Residences.
  10. ^ Ciraj, Ivan. "Ferris Rafauli - Luxury Homes Profile". Ivan Real Estate.
  11. ^ "The Randall Team". Randall Residences.
  12. ^ Wallace-Lynch, Laurie (21 October 2016). "Ferris Rafauli designs posh Bavaria Lounge in Brampton". Mississauga News.
  13. ^ "Policaro BMW opens Bavaria Lounge in Brampton". Canadian Interiors. 21 June 2016.