I have east and west facing windows with duette semi-sheer blinds. they get closed morning and afternoon to block some of the sun. In the winter I have to do the east and south windows. I also had solar film placed on those main windows. Of course, if I'm not home, DH would never think to close the blinds!!

I need to rotate some of my furniture now that we have been here a few years.

I don't, but I also put film on the windows. It's held up great, and keeps the room a bit cooler too.

I don't see the point of having furniture that NEEDS to be protected from the sun (i.e. is nice enough) and then covering it up - you may as well have cheap ugly furniture if you're going to cover it. Plus it would drive me crazy to have sheets on my furniture.

Nope. I would hate covering furniture and uncovering furniture. I close our curtains on very hot days to help keep the house cooler, but otherwise, stuff just gets used and not protected from the sun in any way. I'm pretty sure the dog and kids will trash my stuff faster than the sun anyway. Maybe if I had a vacation house with no window treatments, I would cover the furniture before leaving for extended periods. Or maybe if I had an antique rug. . . . .

YES! Just in our family room. I don't have blinds up and don't want to. I love the light! We have burgundy/red furniture in there and after about 5 years one day I noticed the strange fading. Oh my! I actually thought DH spilled something on the one area at first. It's not too bad standing from the one direction of the room, but it's more obvious sitting on the couch. And the top/back right at the window...total faded orange.

So yes, we have four blankets stored in a basket (that we actual use to cozy) and I cover the couch and loveseat every night before bed. It stays on the furniture until late morning when the sun moves around.

I dislike looking at the blankets, but I'd rather see that than lose the light to blinds.

I was wondering if there are superior windows that look clear, but truly are uv protecting.

I now have blinds on two of the bedrooms windows on that side of the house and keep them closed. This doesn't bother me since they're bedrooms and light still filters somewhat.

I never thought I'd be one to cover the furniture up for a few hours in the morning, but I'm not going to run out and REPLACE furniture every few years because of sun discoloration. I'd like to keep my current furniture until we install hardwood. Then we'll get a rug and new furniture, but you can bet your buttons I'll be still covering it during the morning hours!

No. When we are not at home during the day blinds on front of the house stay tilted downwards. When we're home, I open, but the only room where furniture is up against the wall/window is the sunroom. All our windows have sun protection and they look clear. Sometimes from outside - at an angle - they (to me anyway) look a bit darker, but probably not to anyone else, and not looking from the inside out.

Yes, we did. Our dining room window faced due east, no shade, and I have Grndma's beautiful dining set. If we closed the curtains, the whole main floor was dark. We had 3M anti-uv film applied to the windows, and I'm certain it helped. On the west window, for the LR, we put anti-uv and anti-heat film, and I KNOW that helped. In the summer, didn't have to close the curtains but for an hour around 4pm.

My mom has a pretty umbrella set above a desk near a west window, it's kinda cute.

I'm off to check out window films now. I figured if they protected against UV rays they would be dark and I didn't want that.

That's what I thought. I'm going to check out window films too.

I wish I had. Some of my very good furniture faded in the windows when I neglected to put keep my windows closed during strategic times of day. I could/should have.

White solar shades. I also strategically placed white slipcovered upholstery near windows and darker upholstery deeper in the room. I keep nice looking solid color quilts on my darker sofas to protect them from day to day wear and sun exposure. I usually fold the quilts up and place them on the ends of the couches, drape them over the back of the couches or put them away when I entertain--I don't fuss about it and I like the extra coziness and layering that those quilts provide. It took me a long time to find the perfect quilts that would look good and perform well. This is the first home I've lived in with deep overhangs, which is great for sun protection and I love how I can keep the windows open even when it is raining.

FWIW last time I did window film there wasn't a huge difference in color.

This is what the windows looked like with film. I went with a stronger one because the bedroom had tons of sun exposure and was hot in the afternoon but lighter and move UV-specific ones are also available.

Sheers, solar shades, awnings, exterior solar shades, strategically planted trees.

For those of you covering your furniture, remember that your flooring, including hardwood, will fade as well.

Thanks for the helpful tips!

I think my sun problem is made worse by living in an area where we don't have many tall trees for shade (southwest). And my husband hates closed drapes or shades.

I have double skylights in my LR and den, single one in the kitchen. When we bought the house the first thing I noticed was the sun damaged furniture of the old owner, including white linoleum kitchen floor bleached yellow from the sun. I had film put on all the skylights 99% UVA protected with a very slight blue tint (the sky looks a little bluer), on all other windows in our east-west facing house I put the film on myself. I bought burgundy couch and chair when we moved in, the arm protectors are only used when I have a large crowd, they are still the same color. My windows are open unless the sun is bothering someone. The film and kit were bought at lowes.

Goodness I'm feeling so sheltered right now! :) (solar shades...)

I figured the sun is doing other damage to items in the room, but I haven't noticed anything else ...yet.

I still don't want to see anything extra on the window so the exterior would be the direction I think I'd prefer. Besides the extra visual of an interior blind/shade, I also don't want to clean another item from the never ending battle of kitty fuzz. (I think I'm borderline hijacking this thread.)

I found this site and liked the look of these.
http://dailyhomerenotips.com/2008/06/28/exterior-solar-blinds-part-12-ez-snap-and-french-doors-2/

I went to the actual website (link below) and they don't once mention UV, but I'd imagine it's being reduced.

Are the films easy to put on a large window? I lean toward the perfectionist side. (Not with everything, thankfully.)

Here is a link that might be useful: EZ Snap Exterior Solar Shades

Wow, those EZ Snap shades look great!

My dining room table and chairs are cherry. They are right next to a large window that gets the morning sun. I didn't realize how the sun had faded it until I put a leaf into the table and the difference in color was very noticeable. Also the backs of the chairs that face the window are faded, too. I suppose I could keep a tablecloth on the table, but I don't like that look every day. I don't think anyone else would notice the fading but me.

Overall, I think it is a good idea to protect your furniture, but looking at sheets all day would not make me happy.

My LR is dark, so it normally is not a problem. Also, most of my furniture is not priceless. Much of it is Ikea! But, I have 2 little tables with inlaid wood, ormolu, etc. that I got for a great deal and would never be able to rebuy. I moved them a few months ago to the PERFECT spot . . .no other place is better, but, they get sun. (One from our sunroom, and the other being by a window.) I keep the shade down by the one near the window for part of the day. Sometimes I put a blanket over the table exposed to the sunroom sun when it's really sunny. I would feel bad if I let something happen to them. I feel like their protector vs owner. (Does anyone else personify furniture???)

dedtired, my furniture at one time, was all cherry, mahogany and rosewood and I experienced the same as you.

I realized how much it had faded when I put the leaf in the table and on the LR tables, I had one that hardly got any sun exposure and one that was in east morning sun. When I rearranged the room, I saw just how faded the cherry table that sat in the sunlight was.

Had I known how quickly that would happen (something my mother never told me but she had so many shade trees and an overhang porch that perhaps that was not a problem), I would have taken better care to protect the furniture. Some of that rosewood was quite old and had been my grandmother's (a little guilt trip).

I used a Scott's Liquid Gold in the color nearest to my furniture as a "remedy" sotaspeak. I only put it on the table and not the leaf and applied more and more coats on the DR table. It really did help. I did that on the drop-leaf table that was discolored so much it did not match the other.

I think the heavy draperies that we had growing up, the shade oaks and the large overhang porch protected the furniture I got from my family. I did not have that in a new suburban house where the contractor had plowed trees away and by the time trees were large enough to help, the furniture was discolored.

This post was edited by patricia43 on Sat, Jun 7, 14 at 9:56

I have california shutters on all my windows so I tilt them accordingly so the sun doesnt shine into the room in the summertime.

Thanks for the Liquid Gold tip, Patricia.

Well I'm all about the EZ Snap and DH took one look at the exterior photos and said it looked like garden sheeting. *sigh* He doesn't usually have different opinions on house related stuff so I may end up going with another option.

Saw some inside ones from JCP that are ok. I was looking at the white color.

The EZ Snap and JCP ones appear basically the same thing except where/how they're installed and the color selections.

If the sun is still coming in, 'filtering', aren't UV ray still present? Some of these reviews and wordings talk like it's eliminating the UV, but not the light.

Nancy, did you find any other options?

shee, I think I am going to have a couple window film companies come look at it and see what they say. I will let you know if I learn anything!

Absolutely! here in FL. we learn early on, to protect everything possible, it even fades our ceramic tile in our homes, if that gives you any clue.

I just had 3-M Prestige window film applied to the windows in my DR & family room. New hardwood floors & I wanted to ditch the sheers & wood blinds but still protect my furniture & floors.