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From Kim

Gather an armful of our delightful hand-loomed silk Ikat pillows from Istanbul and create your own Shangri La, inspired by Doris Duke's magnificent Honolulu Estate. Built in 1937, the property is an ode to her love of Hawaii and her passion for Islamic art and architecture.

Duke was an adventurous, intelligent and athletic woman who enjoyed the freedom her great inheritance provided; it also allowed her to pursue and support many interests including travel, the arts, historic preservation and wildlife conservation.

It was on her 1935 honeymoon tour around the world that her lifelong enchantment with Islamic arts began and inspired buying trips for years to come.  Her collection is unrivaled and exquisitely curated as only a visionary can create.  One may visit her Shangri La by making a reservation through the not-to-be missed Honolulu Academy of Arts .

Under photo: Shangri La, Honolulu, Hawaii

Image 1: The House Hotel, Galatasary

We're staying at The House Hotel Galatasaray; a stunning renovation of a 19th century family home in Beyoglu.

 Heading out into the city, we locate the Misir building on Istikal.  It is full of art galleries, most notably The Galerist, which has a showing of Andy Warhol films.

Image 2: Misir building, Istanbul

Image 3: The Galerist, Istanbul

At the top of the Misir building is a spectacular venue, 360. As the name implies, it provides a magnificent view of a magnificent city.

Image 4: 360, Istanbul

With 5 hours to kill before our flight to Istanbul, we opted to take the tube into London. Strangely, I'd never been to The Courtauld Gallery.  Here lives Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe, along  with many other art history book icons and classics including Van Gogh's last painting, Peach Trees In Blossom.

Link to painting: Van Gogh's Peach Trees in Blossom (detail), 1889