Van der Waals (vdW) materials consist of covalently bonded atomic layers held together by weak vdW interactions, enabling the isolation of atomically thin, two-dimensional (2D) materials through mechanical exfoliation. Two decades after graphene’s discovery, which led to the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, 2D materials remain at the forefront of scientific research, attracting significant interest due to their extraordinary properties and applications. In this work, we explore two strategies to tailor the electronic properties of vdW materials. First, we intercalate magnetic atoms into the vdW gap of a transition metal dichalcogenide, inducing a non-trivial antiferromagnetic order and unusual magneto transport phenomena, including a large anomalous Hall effect. Second, we design vdW interfaces by assembling heterostructures from selected 2D materials, demonstrating a bandgap opening in bilayer graphene when interfaced with chromium trihalides crystals. These approaches provide new pathways to engineer vdW materials with potential applications in next-generation electronic and spintronic devices.