A Seattle family tasked Atmosphere Design Build with creating a sustainable dwelling in Nevada City, California, the matriarch's hometown and a historic mining community. The firm's material-driven approach channels the pioneer spirit of the gold rush, without compromising comfort or high-efficiency standards.

“I read a story about a student in a small one-bedroom apartment who because she could only fit her big bed and her desk in the apartment, was too ashamed to invite her friends or her parents over,” remembers Van Bo about his inspiration for this crafty ensemble of furniture. “There was nowhere to cook, nowhere to sit, not even space for standard chairs to fit. It made me think ‘Where do we find the instruction manual for how to use a small space?’ We buy a new computer or a new vacuum cleaner and we are given instructions. But nobody teaches us how to use space”. So he designed plans for a small one-bedroom apartment that included a room-dividing piece (the Siwo Couch) that functions as an all-in-one couch, pull-out king size bed and bench that seats six to nine people, a miraculously problem-solving invention, along with custom-sized smaller chairs that double as tables. “Design is a social issue,” says Van Bo, “it facilitates or negates social interaction depending on its cleverness, use and beauty. Wohnung makes socializing possible and enjoyable in a small space, on a small budget”.

Born in Rome in 1914, Lina Bo Bardi emigrated to Brazil in 1946.

Vriesendorp also crafted a series of paper hands, a reference to Bo Bardi's habit of drawing attention to important details in her notes.

Simpatico Homes founder Seth Krubiner has lived in the prefab company’s nearly net-zero prototype since it was customized and lifted onsite in 2011.

Nothing but WOW ❤️❤️❤️

Components for low-cost prefab homes designed by Habitat for Humanity and the firm Minarc for South Central Los Angeles were trucked in and assembled over three days. Photos by Art Gray.

Rice surfs the net at the built-in desk.

Architect Lina Bo Bardi embraced the vernacular design traditions while pushing new forms forward. Her use of not only wood but fabrics and leathers stand out in several of her designs. Her furniture was often designed only for her buildings. This group of chairs was created between the 1950s and the 1980s.

Included here are the Bola armchair designed by Lina Bo Bardi (1951), a pine chair designed by Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz and Marcelo Suzuki for the SESC-Pompéia Center (1980s), and a folding chair with a jacaranda frame designed by Lina Bo Bardi for Studio de Arte Palma (circa 1950).

In 1953, the American magazine Interiors praised Bo Bardi's Bowl chair by comparing it to the work of Eero Saarinen and Irene Schawinsky.

Bo Bardi reclines in her world famous Bowl chair.

Anyone can make any of the affordable, classical, Bauhaus-inspired furniture designed by Van Bo Le-Mentzel by downloading the plans for free, investing in a couple of screwdrivers, a Japanese saw and a bit of lumber. There are no rules. You can add or subtract to the designs, paint and decorate however you like, to suit yourself and express yourself.

Launched at the BMW Guggenheim Lab in Berlin this July, and full of the photos and personal stories sent in by the Van Bo-following DIY furniture makers from around the world, this book celebrates the love of furniture, the social and creative benefits of building your own chairs, and further illustrates Van Bo’s social outreach. In its pages, he adds instructions on how he has built a community in seven steps, and how he envisions the capitalism of the future—which is all about Thank yous and win-wins. “There are some things that companies need, which don’t involve money,” he explains, “For example, one of the members of my Crowd is a leading figure in Deutsche Bahn, the German Rail company. She says that on hot days when the air conditioning breaks down in one of the rail cars and that car has to be removed and replaced, it causes chaos at the next station. She needs people to come to that station to re-direct traffic, explain the delay, help with the circulation and the clean-up, and give passengers a reassuring smile. If she has Karma Volunteers, they get a badge, they get to help, and they get praise and some free train tickets in return. This is more valuable to both parties than money. It brings people together in a spirit of community, and it makes that community more cohesive. This is the basic principle of Karma Economy. Everyone needs to be needed and needs to be praised. If we can do that for each other while fostering each other’s businesses, it creates a harmonious, helpful, prosperous society”.

Bo, the family’s Old English sheepdog, keeps Sherry company in the office.

Most impressive of all, a solar array on the roof empowers the residents to produce more energy than they consume on-site.

“This was my first design,” says Van Bo, “I often take it with me on the train so that I have a seat—and it starts a conversation. Even homeless people will talk to me about it, admiring its familiar shape. This is the power of design: Mies van der Rohe lives in the psyche of the German people.” He had the idea for this chair after shooting a mock-furniture ad in one of the Berlin subway stations, designed by van de Rohe. “People loved the picture and they asked ‘Where is that cool loft? I love the living room!’ they couldn’t believe that it was an everyday train station. We are very lucky to live in a city that is so well designed”. The 24 Euro Chair’s premise rests on the concept of the right angle, “This means that it takes much less time and thought to create a timeless piece of furniture—that only costs 24 euros ($30) to make”.

The armrests of this gridded option from Dot & Bo become a headboard and footboard when the couch is fully flat. At 7’6" long, it works just as well for kids' sleepovers and visiting grown ups.

Drawn in the late 1960s, her colorful study for the Trianon Terrace at the São Paulo Museum of Art, celebrates everyday life in the city.

The Bola armchair features a black iron frame and a leather seat with lace-up detailing.

For Lina Bo Bardi: Together, artist Madelon Vriesendorp collaborated with Bahia residents, children, and craftspeople to create authentic folk objects.

A view of the installation at the House for Contemporary Art in Belgium.

Numen's Net, occupied by gallery attendees.

David Baird designed the custom sliding doors with materials and hardware from Home Depot. The doors also act as a makeshift critique wall for Bo and Sky’s artwork.

Using slightly updated processes, the Italian furniture design company Arper produced a limited edition run of 500 Bowl chairs to support the Instituto Lina Bo e P.M. Bardi in São Paulo and help finance the exhibition tour.

Kreuzberg is the bohemian, multi-cultural district of Berlin that Van Bo lives in. “Many of the people who create this chair paint it in bright colors,” he says, after the dynamic flavor of its namesake. “One has even been made in recycled paper. If you just want a cheap chair, you can go to Ikea. I love Ikea. But there is something special about making a design yourself, and making it yours—it brings people together, it harnesses creativity. It is a satisfying undertaking.”

The exhibition features video projections of Bo Bardi's beloved SESC Pompéia by filmmaker Tapio Snellman.

A side entrance to Bardi's Fábrica da Pompéia.

Nestled in the jungle of São Paulo, Casa de Vidro (or Glass House) was the first built project by architect Lina Bo Bardi. Its glass volume stands on thin support columns that allow greenery to grow into the home.

"Los Angeles 69" by Bo Lundberg

Written by scholar Aric Chen for The Monacelli Press, the book surveys the history of Brazil’s iconic designers by exploring the innovations in material, form, and technique achieved during this period in time. Native hardwoods and craft traditions combined with European influences resulted in the signature style of Brazilian design. The Bowl Chair was originally designed in 1951 for Arper by Lina Bo Bardi. A limited edition of 500 was created in partnership with the Instituto Lina Bo e P.M. Bardi in São Paulo.

At a net-zero home in San Francisco, the house's green roof is more of a brown roof: a desert-like array of native and non-native succulents that require minimal irrigation. The soil area is maintained with motorcycle tires (including one from a Harley hog), which control erosion. Composting takes place here as well.

Metal shingles cut from scraps of sheet metal mix with new material as well as odds and ends, such as a road sign Baker bought at the Alameda Flea market. Baker designed stainless steel clips that allow any tile to be easily moved or replaced without the use of tools. Planter box panels add functionality to the facade and can be swapped out or relocated throughout the year.

Exterior of Lina Bo and P. M. Bardi house in Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil (1949–52). Photo by Nelson Kon.

Interior of Lina Bo and P.M. Bardi's house in Morumbi, São Paulo (1949–52). Photo by Nelson Kon. (Tip: You can visit the house, which is now a museum, in person!)