Mindy Thomas is not a “snooty” designer.

In fact, the Battle Ground resident said that similar to a number of her clients, she dislikes the over-inflated attitude some designers adopt toward business clients.

As owner and manager of Accents Plus, the window treatment specialist said she has over 20 years of experience working on projects from lavish houses on Mercer Island to single window jobs.

“I like to have a good time and be creative,” she said.  “Some people think that you can’t get someone to do specialized work at their home unless you are willing to spend thousands.  That’s just not true.  For me, no job is too small.”

Consultations are always free, said Thomas adding that she drives to client’s homes at a time that is convenient for them.  Rather than turn away new business opportunities, she said, she works with clients regardless of project size.  While she has performed work at commercial businesses, Thomas primarily works with residential bids.

Thomas got her start working at home.  Friends kept complimenting her creative work, and over time she expanded.

“They really encouraged me to take it further,” she said.  “I was able to work from home and start small.”

Thomas has worked in homes throughout the Southwest as well as the Pacific Northwest, including a number of years as a representative for American Drapery, Blind and Carpet in Seattle.  She relocated with her family from that city to Battle Ground and continues to operate out of her home.  Costs are kept low by avoiding a showroom, she said.

Still, Thomas’ workroom is fully stocked in fabric samples from delicate prints to lustrous sheers and silks.  While she specializes in fabric treatments, Thomas also works with blinds.

First, Thomas narrows down fabric options with clients, asking what they are looking for in the home.  She brings samples into the client’s home for approval.  Her final design can vary depending on the client’s particular concerns, from blocking out the sun to letting the light in or hanging thick fabrics to help block out the cold.

“Regardless, I’m always looking for ways to tie a room together,” she said.

Client demands have shifted over the years, she said, reflecting new trends in the design world.  When she began working with fabric treatments, a majority of clients still preferred sheer curtains and heavy drapes.  Blinds became the next fad, she said, with vertical blinds gaining in popularity.

Then people decided that vertical blinds looked “too clinical,” she said, and clients began gravitating to cellular shades and wood blinds.

“Once the market is saturated with a particular thing, people tend to get sick of it,” said Thomas.  “It evolves over time.  Today there are a lot more options in fabric treatments.”

Accents Plus can be reached at (360) 573-4473 or  Accentsplusdecorating.com.

Hunter Douglas product benefits include:

• Energy Savings

Without energy-efficient window treatments, as much as 50 percent of a home’s heating and cooling energy can be lost through its windows.

All Hunter Douglas window fashions provide window insulation, offering your home increased protection against heat loss during the winter, as well as minimizing the sun’s heat or “solar heat” during the summer.

For over 60 years, Hunter Douglas has been creating and offering natural and appealing ways to harness heat and light. In the winter, heat leaves through the window when you need it, yet becomes trapped inside in the summer when you don’t. Heat loss and gain drive your energy usage up. It can be felt in our monthly utility bills and calculated in your collective carbon emissions.

Today, Hunter Douglas is committed to lowering energy usage and implementing other changes that will ultimately reduce the carbon footprint by 20 percent. Their overriding goal, though, is to help customers everywhere save energy the natural way by effectively channeling and exploiting the natural power of the sun.

That’s Hunter Green. It reminds us of their unique roots, of who they are today and of where they need to go. And while there are many shades of green in today’s world, there is only one Hunter Green.

By using Hunter Douglas products we are a part of the Hunter Green initiative program that continues to create energy conserving awareness and action, enabling support of social programs across the globe.

Other Hunter Douglas product benefits include:

• Quality and Innovation
• Child Safety
• Motorization
• Lifetime Guarantee

Hunter Douglas custom-made window fashions – whether fabric, wood, motorized or manual, are energy efficient and high quality.

All good reasons Accents Plus chooses Hunter Douglas for their interior design and decorating services.

For over fifty years, Fabricut has been supplying exquisite fabrics and trimmings, continually developing exclusive products for designers.  With their array of traditional, transitional, and contemporary styles, patterns and palettes, you are sure to find something appealing for your room and budget.

Fabricut helps Accents Plus open the door to unlimited possibilities of interior design.

Carole Fabrics Tapestria division represents the very latest in styling, color and design and can be considered highly exclusive.  ConFab, another Carole Fabrics division, might be a good choice for the customer who is in the commercial hospitality or healthcare industry.  Hunter Douglas Carole Fabrics is a division of the Hunter Douglas Company.  With such a partnership, there should be little doubt as to why many Accents Plus customers choose Carole Fabrics.

Mitchell Fabrics was founded more than 60 years ago, initially offering competitively priced drapery fabrics and, over the years, expanding to include a variety of hard window coverings, window hardware, bedspread products and custom fabrication services.  Mitchell Fabrics select the finest fabrics from mills around the world, maintaining a balance of contemporary and traditional selections.  Their hard window coverings include brand names such as Kirsch®, Levolor®, and Graber® and, for their drapery hardware, Kirsch®, Graber® and Paris Texas Hardware®.

Mitchell Fabrics introduces new fabric products twice a year in order to keep pace with changing tastes and trends.  By maintaining a large inventory, Mitchell Fabrics is able to keep prices competitive.  All benefits to Accents Plus customers.

Maxwell Fabrics is a 55 year old, 3rd generation family business.  They began as an international manufacturer of hand-guided quilted bedspreads.  After years of selecting decorative patterns for our bedspread business, we shifted our focus into becoming a fabric wholesale distributor.  Over the years, Maxwell Fabrics has focused on creating a look of exceptional style and value for the designer and decorator.

With Maxwell Fabrics, their goal to provide outstanding style and value only increases satisfaction for the Accents Plus customer.

Creative Fabrics has a wide selection of high quality drapery fabrics, linings and sheers at reasonable pricing.  Accents Plus expertly guides you through the choices so you are pleased with the results.

Kirsch has a reputation for quality and elegance.  They have recently introduced three new series in a collection:

• Classics – Create a stunning look for the window with the classic allure and rich wood finishes.
• Urban Comfort – Influenced by a contemporary lifestyle, these transitional designs enable the blend of Zen-like simplicity with structural beauty.
• Renaissance – Representing a royal time in history, the beautiful finishes and handcrafted finial designs help create a new era of opulent elegance. create incomparable looks for your home

With Kirsch Drapery Hardware, professional designers get a first-hand look at new products and can become a part of future design advisory groups.  All good news for the Accents Plus customer.