Watch Phil Panza Build a Gigantic Hat Chair From Scratch

Jul 17, 2023

Phil Panza, a multidisciplinary artist from Brooklyn, is known for his surrealistic artwork such as life-size sculptures. Homeware, unconventional chairs, specifically, seem to be at the forefront of Panza’s focus as of late, with his recent creations including a moss-covered furniture line and a massive hat chair – watch Panza as he builds an original and colossal Kansas City hat chair from start to finish.

Panza starts with pen and paper, taking to it to craft a plan for the size-able yet fully functional structure. The hat chair shown on Panza’s Instagram is a New York Yankees one, though this time around, Panza goes with a Kansas City Royals hat. He then cuts, shapes and labels each piece of wood, to then begin drilling them together to create the inner shape of the hat.

A post shared by Phil Panza (@phil.panza)

It’s time for Panza to work with the fabric, stapling the first layer to the wood. Panza unsheathes a long knife to slice the cushioning for inside the chair, which he begins attaching – via sprayable glue – to the chair’s expanding skeleton.

Now that the internal build of the chair is complete, Panza moves on to the design. He selects a velvet royal blue fabric, measuring, cutting and sewing it to fit the shape of the hat. He slides the completed cover over the cushion-covered base, stapling the velvet onto the sides before filling the bottom with even more cushioning.

As for the final touches, Panza finalizes the hat’s detailing, crafting and sanding the brim before dousing it in blue velvet and attaching it to the front of the chair. He then cuts the Royal’s KC logo out and sews it to the chair’s center. Watch Panza hard at work in the video above.

Elsewhere in the art space, check out the details on Wolfgang Tillmans’ upcoming “Fold Me” exhibition at David Zwirner’s New York City gallery.