Escape to Shangri La

Shangri La was built in 1937 as a retreat estate for American heiress, Doris Duke. Her family's legacy was made rich in the American tobacco industry and when she was 12 years old after her father passed away, it was said she was the richest girl in the world. When Doris came of age, she got married and went on to travel the world for her honeymoon. Her last stop on the honeymoon trail was in Oahu, Hawaii. She and her husband fell in love with the islands and its Hawaiian spirit that they extended their stay by 4 months. Shortly after, the property was purchased and Shangri La was built inspired and themed from Islamic culture.

Shangri La kisses the Pacific Ocean as this fortress is built sturdy where the land meets the sea. Its white exterior greets the sun as it shines on the lush grassy courtyard fit for royalty. However, this home is far from its bare white front. Everywhere you look are colorful, embellished works of art, intricate tile mosaics, hand glazed pieces, metal lanterns, roof top mirrored accents and hand carved designs. The home wasn't designed to mimic a traditional Islamic home, instead Shangri La was decorated and pieced together from Doris's personal Islamic art collection, salvaged or commissioned pieces. Each space just as breathtaking as the next. No two spaces are the same. Islamic mosaic tile work uses so many geometric shapes carefully crafted to nest into one another, it is hard not to stare questioning "how did someone manage to put this together?" It is really stunning puzzle.

We wanted to make sure our Mosaic nail plates embodied the intricacies of the art that created this home. Earlier in the year, we visited Shangri La and it help set the mood for this entire collection.

If you're feeling inspired to create your own personal Shangri La getaway full of intricate mosaics, now you can with Mani x Me Monthly Club! This month comes with 2 nail stamping plates full of ceramic tile mosaics and arabesque motifs of Middle Eastern art and architecture, 2 creamy stamping polishes and Lustre, which is a dual color metallic gold and silver foil to accent your nail design.