Our ambition is to understand living systems on the scale of individually active and interactive molecules such as proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. To this end, single molecule optical techniques as well as AFM are developed and combined to the point where static and dynamic molecular heterogeneity in cells and membranes can be resolved in real time. To quantitatively understand the intricate relationships of biomolecules in their native environments, it is often required to reconstitute selected subsystems in biomimetic environments and investigate them under defined conditions. We particularly focus on the study of membrane proteins in controlled lipid environments to better comprehend the relevance of lipid domains in cellular membrane transformations. Therefore we utilize the model membrane systems. The immense potential of the model membrane systems with regard to the reconstitution of functional proteins in controlled environments has inspired us to move on to new levels of complexity in such bottom-up approaches. In the framework of synthetic biology, we anchor cytoskeletal elements and/or cell walls to these membranes, establish cell free protein translation inside them, and power them by the reconstitution of ATP synthases. The very far goal of such approaches could be the in vitro reconstitution of a self replicating biomimetic system.