In the end, I was glad of my previous reservation to visit Shangri-La today, since quiet and beauty seem what I need now, more than rush and din. Doris Duke, whose father, J.B., invented the paper-rolled cigarette and bankrolled Duke University, was the wealthiest woman in the world for a good while. She created a dream house that was top-to-bottom her own work of art. A majority of treasures were found at auctions all over the world, but these camels, stationed at the unassuming entrance to the house, were bought at a Honolulu department store. You can see beautiful pictures, including the bedroom and bathroom which we couldn't visit, at the Web site (link above). I put four of my photos on Flickr so they could be seen BIG (click on each one to enlarge it).
The living room features an Otis Elevator window that slides completely down into the full basement (they opened this window for us!). Miss Duke usually kept it halfway open because of the many dogs (from the pound!) she owned. Every room has a fireplace, and they were used. The basement, unusual for Hawaii, kept pieces of art, or remnants of fabric like what was used on ceiling and walls of the dining room to make a tent effect. 
When the house was uncared-for during the 9 years of will litigation, this blue-and-red striped ceiling and wall fabric rotted, but she had kept the leftover in the basement so it was all re-created. Doris Duke recycled, kept everything. Many of the floors are crushed coral from the hollowed-out private harbor, now part of public access as these local boys are enjoying. An avid and skilled surfer, she also had a one-person sailboat she launched here.
The master bedroom wing is not open to the public. Miss Duke didn't keep a diary or journal, nor did she have a close friend or confidante. Her father had taught her not to trust anyone, and since he died when she was 12, she stuck with that early advice. She also wanted her own space--the staff, very well taken care of, had little interaction with her. I'm sorry I didn't see Susan Sarandon starring in the movie about Doris Duke shown on HBO earlier this month.
I love this balcony across from the bedroom wing. Everything in the house was detailed and exquisite and mixed and matched (French baroque ceiling in the Turkish Room). On a short hallway wall, an unusual mixing of tiles features one empty hole with the plaster showing through. Miss Duke was still deciding on this one when her final illness took her to LA and the hole's been left unfilled.
What she called her "playhouse" had guestrooms and a large living room with her piano, as she was an accomplished jazz pianist. She also loved yoga and belly dancing, as well as designing every bit of Shangri-La. The saltwater pool (16 feet deep) is refilled every Monday morning. The diving board was hydraulic, so it could be lowered like the living room window and give a living-room-lanai feel from the house to the playhouse.
My outfit matched a good bit of the decor, and I felt glad, since just being inside the house was unforgettable. This picture was taken during our drink-of-water break on a lanai, but it was raining so we couldn't go into the garden. We moved in groups of 10, so could ask questions and it all went too fast. One woman was there for the fourth time! I can see why.
It is a magical place...if you look closely at the red walkways in the Mughal Garden, they look like they rise in the middle in a little peak, but they are perfectly flat. Like the whole house and grounds, they're a feast for the eyes.I want to learn more about Doris Duke now, just seeing this glimpse into the home she created, and lived in roughly six months a year, from September to April. I'd like to look into the travels she did, the interests she had and the great love of keeping herself to herself (she did very little entertaining at Shangri-La). There is some fascinating background in this Smithsonian article. The photo gallery in the article is wonderful.
Today was a beautiful day.
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