Protecting Art, Floors and Furniture From the California Sun
The light that makes Los Angeles so beautiful is also hard on everything it touches. How window treatments protect what you have collected.
The same sunshine that draws people to Southern California is quietly at work on their interiors. Fabrics lose their depth, wood floors change color around the outline of a rug, and works on paper fade in ways that cannot be undone. The damage is gradual, which is exactly why it goes unnoticed until a sofa is moved or a painting is taken down.
What actually causes fading
Ultraviolet light is the best known culprit and the largest single contributor, but it is not the only one. Visible light and heat play their part as well. That matters, because it means no single product stops fading altogether. The sensible aim is to reduce exposure in several ways at once, particularly at south and west facing windows, where the sun is strongest and lingers longest.
Solar shades: protection without losing the view
Solar shades are woven to a stated openness. A fabric of three percent openness is roughly ninety seven percent closed, admitting a soft, even light while turning back most of the direct rays. They are the natural first layer in rooms where the view is the reason for the window.
Lined drapery: the sacrificial layer
A good lining stands between the sun and the decorative fabric and takes the wear on its behalf. Should it tire after many years, a lining can be replaced at far less cost than the drapery it has protected. Drawn across a window during the brightest hours, lined drapery also shields the rugs, upholstery and floors beyond it.
Let the house look after itself
The most effective protection is the kind that happens without anyone remembering to do it. Motorized shades can lower on a schedule shortly before the afternoon sun reaches a room and rise again when it has passed. The room is protected on the days you are traveling as well as the days you are home.
A few habits that help
- Hang works on paper, textiles and photographs away from direct sun, and ask your framer about protective glazing.
- Rotate rugs and rearrange accessories from time to time so any change in the floor is even.
- Remember that sheers soften light beautifully but offer limited protection alone.
- Treat the windows you rarely think about, such as skylights, stair windows and clerestories, since they often admit the most sun.
Window treatments are usually chosen for how they look. In this climate they are also among the most useful forms of conservation a house can have, and the pieces you care for most will be better for them.
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