SKU: 90332424428

Neylu village, Laya, 2004

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Description

Neylu village, Laya, 2004In a misguided attempt to legislate a unified national culture in the wake of the Nepali uprising, Bhutan's government instituted the Driglam Namzha policy to guide public dress and architecture. In a country where the elevation ranges from 300 feet to 25,000 feet and encompasses a wide variety of climates, cultures, and local materials, this "unifying" policy was a disaster and often had the opposite effect of creating a "nationwide family." Bhutan's

In a misguided attempt to legislate a unified national culture in the wake of the Nepali uprising, Bhutan's government instituted the Driglam Namzha policy to guide public dress and architecture. In a country where the elevation ranges from 300-feet to 25,000-feet and encompasses a wide variety of climates, cultures, and local materials, this "unifying" policy was a disaster and often had the opposite effect of creating a "nationwide family."

Bhutan's traditional Drukpa dress is fashionably elegant as well as practical in the Drukpa heartland. However, it is hot and cumbersome in the sweltering lowlands and did not go well with the Lhotshampa, used to Nepali clothes. The urban youth preferred Western fashion and ignored the government.

The dress code is enforced in offices and schools. It is accepted by most Bhutanese as attractive and stylish for formal occasions. But for the most part, the policy is disregarded, and the government turns a blind eye.

Bhutanese village architecture evolved by necessity. Geography dictated building structure, rooflines, and materials. Sun, wind, water, economics, and local gods, decreed building placement, orientation, density, and village cluster design.

 

Now building codes demand nationwide uniformity. New structures appear to be traditional—modeled on the enlightened form and expression of the dzongs and the vernacular wisdom of the villages—but often lack the harmony and balance of village houses. Traditional details, built with wood, earth, and stone, are now being imitated in concrete and steel, and shapes have shifted. The demands of modern materials distort the original architecture's beauty, freezing the function of many details into meaningless artifice and ignoring the wisdom of "form follows function." The result is concrete boxes with gingerbread "Bhutanese" icing, with no consideration for the elements—hot in the summer, cold in the winter.

The young are moving from the villages in droves, creating demand for urban housing. Bhutan's first attempts at urban planning are end-to-end faux Bhutanese concrete buildings, tight right-angled grids with no provisions for sidewalks, trees, planters, gardens, or much else that is close to the Bhutanese heart. The elegance expressed in Bhutan's dzongs and villages can undoubtedly be achieved with modern materials. However, a Bhutanese façade over an Indo-Western form is not the way.

From BHUTAN: Hidden Lands of Happiness, by John Wehrheim (Serindia 2011)

PHOTO PRINTS
Prints are on Hahnemuhle heavyweight (315 gsm) 100% archival cotton “Photo Rag Baryta” paper, using archival inks and archival spray coating. They have a 200-year life expectancy before any deterioration of the print will be observed when stored, handled, and displayed under archival conditions.

CANVAS PRINTS
What is often called “Gallery Wrap Canvas” is a fine art inkjet (Giclee) print on canvas, with printed edges to wrap around a wooden stretcher frame, like a painting. With canvas prints, your print image is still the same size, but given a "wrap effect" around the edges to account for the thickness of the stretcher. Canvas can be rolled and shipped with no effect to the print. Your local framing shop should be able to mount the canvas to stretchers at a fraction of the cost of traditional framing, making for an overall more economical way to get fine art on your wall. The canvas is printed to wrap around a 1-inch stretcher (1.5 inches on larger sizes). Specifications will be provided with your order. Feel free to contact us if you need guidance with your canvas order.

John prints, titles, dates, and signs all of his photos.

CUSTOM ORDERS: For custom orders of prints shipped flat, framed, or as stretched canvas, contact [email protected].

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SKU: 90332424428

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Leslie Guffey
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
Shelf
Size: 3 Set 3-Tier, Planks Not Included
Bigger than I expected but very sturdy and looks great !
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Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2026
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Mike
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 5
Takes time to install right.
Size: 3 Pcs 5 Tier, Not included planks, Size: 3 Pcs 5 Tier, Not included planks
Saw a few complaints about this product in the reviews before ordering but gave it a shot anyways. Took a little longer than I would have liked to install, but was only time consuming, not difficult. I made sure at least 2 screws on each base plate were into studs so it's more than sturdy. Hung each of the 3 brackets by 1 screw, marked the rest of the holes, took it back off the wall, installed anchors where needed, and finally screwed each back up fully. And for the people saying that the threads don't line up once snug, try switching out a fitting or pipe so it's a different thread mesh. If that doesn't work, just over tighten the fitting. Furthest one I pushed was nearly 3/4 of a turn past finger tight. I don't have a single loose connection on the whole shelf. My wife can't wait for us to go to lowes tomorrow for the wooden shelves to finish off the bookshelf this will be for her.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2022
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Grom kid
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 4
Great product and price
Size: 3 Set 3-Tier, Planks Not Included
Nice quality product Great product
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Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2026
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Tiffany Lopez
Boise, US
★★★★★ 5
Worth the money!
Size: 3 Set 3-Tier, Planks Not Included, Size: 3 Set 3-Tier, Planks Not Included
Such a good buy! High quality and easy to assemble. I will warn that hanging them is a little tricky (We read several reviews saying this and thought “they’re just dumb”, we were definitely wrong. I recommend installing/ attaching the middle level of plates first before attaching the tops and bottoms. It just made it easier for us to keep everything level throughout the process) but other than that very happy with this purchase! We hung three 12 inch boards inside and it added SO much storage and looks so nice! Definitely worth the money!
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Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2025
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Jana
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
Takes up a lot of visual space
Size: 3 Set 4-Tier, Planks Not Included
Great product. Goes together easily and quickly. Everything was there that was needed. Looks great and is consistent with my industrial look; however, we're converting a stairwell to the basement to a pantry and wanted to use these shelves there. It takes up an inordinate anount of visual space and made it feel claustrophobic to me. I tried to come up with someplace to use it, but it's a very small house. If you have the space, you won't be disappointed with these shelves.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2025

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