A remarkable collection of mid-century modern furniture originally designed for India's planned city of Chandigarh has found an unlikely home in a converted butcher shop in London's Primrose Hill. The pieces, crafted from dark hardwoods like teak and rosewood with characteristic cane seats and geometric lines, once furnished the government buildings of India's modernist capital.

Property developer Rajan Bijlani has spent over two decades collecting hundreds of these historic pieces, which were designed in the 1950s for Chandigarh, the new city commissioned by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The furniture was created primarily by Pierre Jeanneret, cousin of legendary architect Le Corbusier, along with a team of largely Indian designers including Eulie Chowdury, a young woman whose contributions were long overlooked.

Bijlani's Primrose Hill home, purchased in 2014 from the partner of late potter Emmanuel Cooper, serves as both residence and exhibition space. The house itself carries cultural significance, having previously housed Cooper's kiln and workshop. With help from architect Joseph Edwards and interior designer Rebecca Sicardi, Bijlani transformed the former butcher shop into a kitchen while preserving original elements like tilework and metal bars wherever possible.

The furniture tells a story of both creation and near-destruction. Originally designed for Chandigarh's public buildings including law courts, the secretariat, assembly halls, colleges and cafeterias, these pieces provided human-scale comfort within Le Corbusier's monumental concrete spaces. They were built to be practical and hardworking, using local materials and craftsmanship to create furniture that belonged to its place and climate.

By the end of the 20th century, however, building managers in Chandigarh began discarding what they saw as worn-out, old-fashioned furniture. Bijlani, who has family connections to the city, began his rescue mission in 2004 at age 20. "Some of these pieces were being sold as firewood," he explains, defending the controversial practice of removing the furniture from its original location. "Without the dealers going in, they wouldn't be celebrated. They would have just been lost."

European dealers also recognized the value of these pieces, transforming everyday institutional furniture into highly sought-after collectibles that now command five-figure sums at auction. The furniture has gained international recognition, appearing in spaces from Korean rapper RM's studio to design exhibitions worldwide.

Bijlani's London home showcases the furniture alongside works by Cooper, ceramicist Lucie Rie, and painter Frank Auerbach. All share what he describes as "a version of modernism that embraces texture and nature, the rough as well as the smooth, rather than the polished perfection of industrial finishes." The house itself embodies this philosophy, with polished concrete floors, reclaimed Belgian timber, and spaces that embrace both light and shadow.

The collector opens his home by appointment during art fairs like Frieze Masters, hoping to find a major institution that will give the collection the recognition he believes it deserves. "It may seem extravagant for one guy," Bijlani acknowledges, "but it's a very open house. The beauty of having a space like this is to share it." Until then, these chairs, desks, and tables that once served Indian bureaucracy continue to create what he calls "a remarkably calming environment" in their London sanctuary.