When Drake released the video for his latest single, Toosie Slide, at the beginning of April, it wasn't just the jaunty dance routine that caught people's eye – the video also offered a glimpse inside the rapper's lavish new Toronto mansion.
Dubbed The Embassy and modelled on traditional Beaux Arts architecture, the 4,600-square-metre home comes complete with a black granite swimming pool and an NBA regulation-size indoor basketball court crowned by a two-square-metre pyramidal skylight.
The interior is the brainchild of Canadian designer Ferris Rafauli, who was also responsible for creating the $399,000 (Dh1.4m) bed that takes centre stage in Drake’s bedroom. No wonder he only loves his bed and his momma.
"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 said in an interview with Architectural Digest.
“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.”
While Drake was given first dibs on the new bed design, a collaboration between Rafauli and Swedish manufacturer Hastens, the Grand Vividus is now available for anyone to purchase.
Arguably the most luxurious bed in the world, it is handcrafted at the Hastens atelier in Sweden, takes more than 600 man hours to make and weighs in at a whopping 530 kilograms.
It is available in a choice of four colours: Black Shadow, Phantom Charcoal, Natural Shale and Traditional Blue, and can be can be built in sizes of up to three metres wide and three metres long.
Unlike most beds, which are quickly covered up with bed sheets and become secondary in terms of design, the Grand Vividus is designed to make a statement in itself. Fine leathers are combined with sleek lines, suedes and gold accent trims.
"I always design to create something opulent and extravagant that tantalises and arouses all the senses, yet still remains classic and formal," Rafauli tells The National.
“I like to infuse my designed creations with various layers of materials, to create an opulence and richness that is pleasing to the eye and pleasing to the touch.
I always design to create something opulent and extravagant
“To that end, I have introduced layers of materials to the Ferris Rafauli + Hastens bed, such as exotic leathers, suedes and metal detailing that creates a grand, extravagant feel while maintaining a sense of timelessness and respecting Hastens’s rich tradition.”
Unfortunately, there is currently a waiting list for the Grand Vividus, so it may be some time before you get to rest like a rap star.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
McIlroy's recent struggles
Last six stroke-play events (First round score in brackets)
Arnold Palmer Invitational Tied for 4th (74)
The US Masters Tied for 7th (72)
The Players Championship Tied for 35th (73)
US Open Missed the cut (78)
Travellers Championship Tied for 17th (67)
Irish Open Missed the cut (72)
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
INDIA%20SQUAD
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (87')
Athletic Bilbao 1
Williams (14')
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ENGLAND%20SQUAD
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RESULTS
6.30pm: Meydan Sprint Group 2 US$175,000 1,000m
Winner: Ertijaal, Jim Crowley (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap $60,000 1,400m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Handicap $160,000 1,400m
Winner: Raven’s Corner, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group 3 $200,000 2,000m
Winner: Folkswood, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile Group 2 $250,000 1,600m
Winner: Janoobi, Jim Crowley, Mike de Kock
9.25pm: Handicap $125,000 1,600m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
RIDE%20ON
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