Kreuzberg 36 Chair Project

You don’t have any money for design furniture? Then build some yourself! Following the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) trend, Berlin-based architect Van Bo Le-Mentzel has hit a nerve with his initiative. Amateurs have followed his instructions and built hundreds of cube sofas, the Berliner Hocker, or 24-Euro Chairs for a price that even the long-term unemployed can afford proving that it is possible to live tastefully without expensive grandstanding.

This concept got Cavall Mari’s attention, and In the springtime of 2021 she contacted Van Bo Le-Mentzel’s office and received the instructions and list of materials for building the Kreuzberg Chair 36, which can also be found in the pocketbook “Hartz IV Moebel.com: Build More Buy Less! Konstruieren statt konsumieren”.

Cavall Mari used the space and assistance of one of Barcelona’s “Ateneus” (public spaces for creation and experimentation) and celebrated a successful construction of a pair of Kreuzberg 36 chairs, which by the way, stands for the name and las two-digit zip code of one of Berlin’s most famous districts (not only for being hype and super tolerant but also representing one of the highest unemployment rates in the city).

On her next trip to Berlin in August the same year, Cavall Mari arranged a meeting with Van Bo Le-Mentzel to know some more details and reasons on his initiative and activism for a more sustainable and equal modern society through creativity and inclusive open design. You can hear the interview, which of course was recorded in Kreuzberg, in the audio below.