Living organisms display many enticing features that, if embedded within synthetic materials, would have transformative applications in the fields of material science and energy. Cells are composed of molecular machines and energy-consuming polymers that produce mechanical work at the protein scale, leading to emergent macroscopic behaviors. However, the rational design of programmable materials that robustly mimic these features is still in its infancy. In this talk, I will present two examples where energy-consuming proteins work coherently over multiple length scales to generate complex, yet organized, structures and motion. First, I will describe how microscopic interactions between highly processive kinesin-1 motor clusters and microtubules control the self-assembly of contractile asters or extensile bundles. We combine experiments and scaling arguments to identify generic nematic and polar interactions that control the extensile-to-contractile transition. Second, I will describe on-going experiments where coupling between reaction/diffusion-mediated pattern formation and polymerization of actin filaments triggers emergent collective behaviors. Overall, our results establish fundamental design rules for creating active materials endowed with life-like properties.