Meet Kimberly, Your Window Fashions Advisor
When it comes to window coverings, experience matters. For more than three decades, Kimberly has worked in nearly every corner of the industry, building a reputation throughout the Pacific Northwest for finding solutions that balance beauty, privacy, functionality, and personal style.
From her beginnings as a receptionist at Hunter Douglas to becoming one of the region's most trusted in-home window fashions consultants, Kimberly's journey has been shaped by curiosity, determination, and a genuine desire to help people find the right solution for their homes.
We sat down with Kimberly to learn more about her story, her approach to design, and what homeowners should know before investing in custom window coverings.
Why did you get into this space?
It was by happenstance. I was looking for a job and went through a job placement agency, getting a job as a receptionist at Hunter Douglas in 1991, and I moved up into customer service a year later. After being there a while, I started getting to know designers in the field, and was encouraged by them and my clients to move into the design industry. I went to Bellevue college for design, while working for an interior design company in Southcenter.
I then went on to have my defining moment in the industry when a tile contractor tiled inside a window opening, destroying the current window covering in the process. I immediately went into operation mode, contacting the client's window covering retailer, negotiating and scheduling a replacement within the same day.
At that moment, the sales manager of the retailer asked me to come on as their window coverings showroom specialist, and within a year and a half, I began doing what I do now; doing in-home design services.
I never stopped doing that, and my industry knowledge has grown by leaps and bounds since then. Today, we are the Pacific Northwest's most experienced and positively known window coverings consultant, and it's all because of a young woman's desire to get a job.
What do people often get wrong with their window coverings?
I would say not selecting the right option with the right privacy, light control, or design.
People often do what they can DIY, and then end up calling me because they didn't consider certain factors around different seasons, privacy concerns, function or even just sizing.
While working with an expert can be more expensive in some cases, I urge people who don't have a contracting background to not guess as to what they need. There's a reason a plumber doesn't recommend plumbing to a homeowner, and it's the same reason I don't recommend DIY window coverings to people needing a custom solution.
There are too many factors for the layperson to consider, and it can cause some expensive and disappointing results.
People always ask, "What's the best option for this window?" How do you come to an answer?
Well, I take a look at the window first.
The next thing I look at is how we can mount the product. Can we mount it normally? What privacy factors are in play? Is the window on the street? What style is the home? How reachable is the window? Does it need to be motorized? How old is the client?
A client who is 85 may have different needs and results than a 35 year old homeowner.
There are a multitude of factors that go into determining the best product for their windows, and I do everything I can to ensure they get the absolute best product for them down to features, function, light control and privacy.
What is your favorite kind of project?
My favorite kind of project is when I get to focus not only on a client's functional needs, but on their decorative needs as well.
This includes layering of treatments, working with textures and colors, providing blinds and shades alongside decorative drapery.
Altogether, I love a good challenge, and it makes me very popular with clients who desire more perfection in their patterns and textures.
How do you like clients to get in touch with you?
I'm open to emails or phone calls.
I prefer to speak verbally to my clients before I go to their home, as I need to prep my fabric and texture books. I also like to schedule enough time not only to set product to a window, but also work with and get a feel for the client's personality, which helps me make a better recommendation.
Final Thoughts
After more than 30 years in the industry, Kimberly's approach remains remarkably simple: every home is different, every window is different, and every client deserves a solution designed specifically for them.
Whether you're looking for better privacy, improved light control, a decorative statement piece, or a complete window fashions plan for your home, Kimberly brings decades of experience and a personalized approach to every consultation.