Building Enzo Mari furniture
We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Offerman Woodshop (OWS) and Angel City Lumber (ACL) on a custom furniture commission. The collaborative trio couldn’t be a better fit:
- ACL, who generously hosts our workshops, are providing us with Ponderosa Pine locally salvaged from a Burbank City tree.
- OWS is milling and machining the timbers into furniture parts.
- Would Works artisans will then sand, finish, and assemble twelve chairs and two tables.
We are honored to be building furniture from Autoprogettazione, the book of open-source designs by Italian furniture maker Enzo Mari.
The Autoprogrettazione manual was created in 1974 as a design guide to a collection of furniture that could be assembled from the most basic materials, using just a hammer and nails.
This collaboration has been inspired by the work of another non-profit social enterprise in Berlin called The Refugees Company for Crafts & Design (CUCULA) which has been using the Autoprogrettazione manual to empower and employ refugees in furniture design and fabrication. Read more about their amazing program here.
Five refugees from the CUCULA programme with their limited-edition versions of the furniture. Photo source
Are you interested in commissioning custom pieces from Would-Works and our partnering woodshops? Check out our custom commission page.
Also in News
Great News -- Here's To A New Chapter for Would Works!
We are delighted to announce that Would Works’ (WW) programs have found a new and supportive home within Rediscover Center, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that provides woodworking instruction and vocational training for youth as part of their mission to provide all Angelenos ages 5-25 with the tools, resources, and confidence to create physical objects using discarded and creatively reused materials.
With Heavy Hearts, We Must Announce The Closure of WW at the End of 2025
After 13 years, Would Works has made the difficult decision to sunset operations at the end of 2025. Over the past year and a half, we have worked to position Would Works for long-term success and to better serve our unhoused community in Los Angeles. Despite our best efforts, it has become clear that the current climate is not in our favor.
A New Chapter: Beginner Builders Youth Pilot Program
On August 23, 2025, Would Works officially kicked off our reimagined paid job training program in woodworking for youth experiencing homelessness, in partnership with My Friend's Place, and funding support from Snap Foundation, Cedar-Sinai Grantmaking, and the Arlene and Michael Rosenfeld Foundation.