Consider other practical issues involved in selecting window shades in southern California, including your:

• Need to accentuate your view or create privacy. Shades can frame a lovely view as much as they can provide relief from a next-door neighbor who is a little too close for comfort. At the same time, it’s a good idea to weigh how often your shades might be open, or how much time you spend away from home during the day.
• Need to block the sun. Shades can keep rooms cooler in the summer and reduce heat loss in the winter. Highly reflective shades can reduce heat gain by about 45 percent, which in turn can help keep your energy bills in check, the U.S. Department of Energy reports.
• Need to reduce glare. Lights may enter your home from multiple sources, including street lights, the headlights of passing cars, outdoor sports facilities and nearby commercial buildings. Shades can keep such nuisances at bay.
• Need for convenience or additional peace of mind because of children or pets. This consideration is no riddle, but the answer might lay in motorized shades, which you can operate from a distance and eliminate the need for cords that might draw the interest of your favorite two- and four-legged little ones.