Meet the Chair Stylist, Wendy Conklin!
Artisan • Designer • Educator • Entreprenista
Wendy is the Creative Director and thought leader behind the Chair Whimsy movement to live more creatively.
She helps her online course students tap into and cultivate their creativity, giving them permission to "play" and upgrade their joy. Her teaching style makes the challenge of learning a new craft feel accessible and fun!
Her business programming helps other artisans and makers leverage their knowledge, skills, and finished work to build and grow businesses supporting their families and providing financial and creative fulfillment.
You can still purchase from her inventory of exclusive reupholstered chairs and indulge in the multi-sensory feast of her unique pattern play and design aesthetic.
Whether she's building a greenhouse in her backyard, revamping her vintage camper, or upgrading her design studio, Wendy brings her audience along for the ride.
Her growing Instagram following goes wild for her sneak peeks, tips, and sourcing links.
Her work is featured in top-shelf publications, including HGTV Magazine, Woman's World, Cottages & Bungalows, Where Women Create, Cottage Style, Austin Home, and Austin Woman magazines.
Wendy lives in the Austin, Texas area with her husband, two daughters, and little furry friend, Maui.
Expert Topics:
The art and joy of crafting antique chairs
How to take a side hustle and catapult it to a full time gig
How to be a more creative thinker
- Featured in -
TV & Magazines
In With the Old, Magnolia Network (Season 4, Episode 7): Minden's Mysterious Yellow House
Spectrum News: Texan turns old chairs into whimsical designs (Jan 13, 2024)
Spectrum News: Life Whimsy
Cottages & Bungalows: Colorful Camper Couture
Where Women Create: An Artist Lives here
ABC 10 Your California Life: DIY Ugly Chair Challenge
Austin Home Magazine: Sitting Pretty: Chair Whimsy Offers Customizable Chair Creations
Austin Woman Magazine: What Inspires Wendy Conklin's Whimsical Chairs
Better Homes & Gardens: Chairs Featured in Cottage Style Magazine
Chicago WGN Channel 9: Wendy Conklin, The Chair Stylist, Shares Tips on How to Design and Upholster Your Chairs
Cottages & Bungalows: Chairs featured in A Great Romance
Cottages & Bungalows: Transform any space in your home with amazing, creative, custom chairs
Hello Iowa: Reflecting Personality in Your Home
HGTV Magazine: February 2022: Your Flair Everywhere
Good Day Stateline: Making Over Chairs That Need a Little TLC with Wendy Conklin
News Channel 8: Bringing Old Chairs to Life
News Channel 9 WSYR-TV: An Ugly Chair Challenge: No Sewing Required
Where Women Create Magazine: Ways I Practice Mindfulness in the Studio and Expand My Creativity
Who Des Moines: How to upcycle a chair
WishTV.com: Ugly Chair Challenge: The Chair Stylist turns ugly chairs into works of art, teaches how you can do it too
Cottages & Bungalows: Turning Dreams into Reality: How antique building materials and upholstery courses transformed one woman's world.
Podcasts
The Artisan CEO: How Play Fuels Creativity
Biz Ninja: Wendy Conklin – Queen of the Chair Whimsy Movement
Courage Becomes Her with Laurel Emory
Diversified Game: Wendy Conklin Gives the Game on Chair Whimsy her Boutique Chair Design Co
Mental Health News Radio Network: Wendy Conklin - An Encore Career Specializing in Creativity and Fun.
Make Space Podcast: Spills the beans on how I style fun chairs, mix and match prints, and make eclectic chairs work together as well as amazing tips for giving furniture pieces a makeover.
Monique Cara Podcast: Being Brave with Wendy Conklin from Chair Whimsy
Side Hustle School: Crafter Fashions Upcycled Chairs into Six-Figure Shop
Stories of Change & Creativity: Chronicles my journey from side hustle to entrepreneur and how I turned my hobby into a full-time gig.
The Design You Podcast: How to be a Creative Thinker with Wendy Conklin.
Thrift Diving: This Woman Makes Six Figures Reupholstering Chairs!
Newspapers & Blogs
Spoonflower: Reupholstering a Settee
Your Tango: 10 Ways to Think, Play, and Work More Creatively
Apartment Therapy: Here's How a Pair of $50 Vintage Bistro Chairs Became the MVPs of My Tiny Apartment
Austin American Statesman: Chair Whimsy Owner Donates Table and Chairs to Lugo Family
BuzzFeed: 26 Furniture Pieces That Reviewers Say Are Gorgeous, Stunning, Or Beautiful
BuzzFeed: 52 Pieces Of Furniture And Decor That Basically Say "Why Yes, I Am A Sophisticated Adult"
BuzzFeed: 52 Pieces Of Furniture And Decor That Basically Say "Why Yes, I Am A Sophisticated Adult"
Create Whimsy Spotlight: Wendy Conklin Artist and Chair Designer
Culture Map Austin: Round Rock entrepreneur reupholsters Austinites' creative lives with whimsical DIY book
dotLA: From Helicopters to Online Courses: How a Flight Instructor Earned Millions on Kajabi
First for Women: Make Money With Your Hobby: Sewing Blankets, Hosting Book Events, and Flipping Furniture
Forbes: Holiday Gift Guide 2023: Best Travel Gifts For Crafters
Forbes: How Second Act Entrepreneurs Turned Their Side Hustles Into Businesses
Forbes: How Do You Build a Successful Side Hustle?
Forbes: What is the Most Successful Side Hustle You Can Do?
GoDaddy: Tips for scaling up your Etsy business
LA's the Place: Holiday Home and Family Gift Ideas for 2023
LA's the Place: Discover the Joys of Creativity: Wendy Conklin’s ‘LIFE WHIMSY’
MSN: Inspiring Joyful Celebrations: A Holiday Gift Guide for Happier Homes and Hostesses
Muse by Clio: Unwrap the Magic: A Holiday Gift Guide for Creatives
NextAvenue: How to Run Your Side Hustle Like the Business It Is
Oak and Linen Home: Lisa talks with Wendy Conklin about Chair Whimsy and her new book!
Sleepless Mom: A Few Of My Favorite Things 2023
SoCal: Your SoCal Holiday 2023 Gift Guide
The Spruce: 5 Tips for Mixing and Matching Dining Chairs to Create an Eclectic Space
Stray Dog: Stray Dog House Tour with Wendy Conklin
Tech Crunch: Online education platform Kajabi helps creators earn money for sharing their expertise
Texas Lifestyle Magazine: Gifts for Hearth & Home
Thrive Global: Wendy Conklin of Chair Whimsy: "Add fun books stacked on a table"
Urban Milan: 2023 Urban Milan Holiday Gift Guide Her
Upgrade Your Joy: A Stray Dog Home Tour with Wendy Conklin
US News & World Report: How to Make Money on Etsy
Women's World: How One Woman Makes Up to $14,000 a Month Refurbishing Chairs
Yahoo News!: Bring color and creative joy to your life with author of Life Whimsy Wendy Conklin
X99News: How to Make Money on Etsy | Personal Finance
