The Doors of Shangri-La

I've seen Shangri-La... and it's filled with upholstered doors.

Over the holidays, I was watching Frank Capra's 1937 film Lost Horizon, a yarn about a hijacked plane that has been taken to Shangri-La. Despite its location in the rugged Himalayas, Shangri-La- or at least Capra's version of it- was an oasis of tranquility and peace set against a backdrop of thoroughly over the top 1930s set decoration. Tranquility? Peace? 1930s decor? Sounds like Shangri-La to me.

One of the most striking features of the film's set is the abundance of upholstered doors, something which seems to be on our minds lately thanks to designers like Miles Redd and Suzanne Rheinstein. While most examples we see today mimic classic, paneled doors, Shangri-La's were a bit more fanciful. It looks like there was nailhead trim around the perimeter of the door, but the rest of the design, a shapely mix of diamonds, octagons, and squares, appears to have been created with cording. And then there's that star/cross that was nailed to the top and bottom of the center diamond (you'll have to click on the images to see it clearly.)

I think that such an elaborate design might look best on large doors, much like those at Shangri-La. (Despite the fact that the citizens of Shangri-La practiced moderation in all things, everything seemed awfully big). But for those of us with average sized doors, why not take a few of these elements and incorporate them into your own upholstered door?