One of the richest heiresses in the world, Doris Duke, daughter of a wealthy tobacco tycoon, fell in love with Hawaii in 1935 while on her honeymoon. So much so that she decided to make it her next home and called it Shangri La, after the imaginary idyllic land mentioned in the 1933 novel "Lost Horizon."
The famed surfer and Olympian Duke Kahanamoku and his family helped her pick out the land, 4.9 oceanfront acres near Diamond Head for $100,000. Construction began on the $1.4 million dollar house in 1937, and Duke's design for the home was strongly influenced by another love of hers: Islamic art and architecture. From floor to ceiling, the rooms were designed with elaborate decorative details, geometric patterns, carved and painted wood, carpets, ceramics and works of art.
The home is built around a large courtyard with entries to public spaces, such as the living room and pool, connecting from there. Photo Credit: Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design
The collection includes around 4,500 objects, nearly all on display at Shangri La, which opened to the public as a museum in 2002.
"We do not know what sparked Doris Duke's interest in Islamic art. The startling juxtaposition of Islamic tile panels, glass vessels, metalwork and luxurious textiles with Hawaii's luscious flora at first seems to be an anomaly," historian Carol Bier wrote in her introduction to the book, "Doris Duke's Shangri La."
At the time, it was the most expensive home in Hawaii. Duke lived there until her death in 1993, and in her will, she requested a foundation be created so Shangri La could be turned into a public museum dedicated to Islamic art and culture.
The intricacy of the Turkish and Baby Turkish Rooms comes from an authentic interior from Syria of a mid-19th century room, made up of carved and painted wood and inlaid stone. Photo Credit: Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design
Visitors can book a tour of Shangri La by making a reservation online ($45 for nonresidents). Tours begin and end at the Honolulu Museum of Art on Thursdays and Fridays or at the newly added Bishop Museum location on Saturdays. Tickets are now being released on a monthly schedule. October tour tickets go on sale Sept. 4.
Once booked, a shuttle will pick up guests at their selected museum at their designated tour time and transport them to Shangri La, where they will have 75 minutes to explore Duke's former home and its oceanfront grounds.