Red velvet curtains in south-facing room - madness?

[Lovage]

I'd love cherry-red curtains in our big bay window, but the room faces south (well, a bit east of South) so would they fade in no time? I have this idea that red fades faster than other colours, but I don't know whether that's actually true or not. Does the fabric make a difference? I could cede velvet if some other red fabric fades less.

Even if they did fade, couldn't it just look nicely lived-in and not horrible?! Hmm, not sure I'm going to win this argument...

Line them properly and they won't fade.

Thanks. Wouldn't the edges still fade though? - they never hang completely flat but sort of curl round at the edges - or at least, that's what my curtains do! That was the bit I was thinking would fade, rather than a general over all kind of fade.

Could you add a panel of patterned fabric at the edge? Maybe to match some cushions? Something like this?

Its true that red velvet would fade at the edges but only over a good few years.

I have rarely kept curtains for more than 4 years so that wouldnt bother me ( however I dont buy expensive curtains)

You could always add an edge to your curtains in a different fabric either when you buy the or when the fading starts to show.

Yes, red definitely fades faster because it absorbs more blue (higher energy) light. I pass a house some days with marvellous pink stripy curtains that I'm sure didn't start out that way!

Thank you and damn! I keep my curtains much more than 4 years even when they were dead cheap - the current lot have lasted 12 and I usually only change curtains when I move house. And if I'm actually getting what I want, rather than what I can find in the remainders bin, like the current pair, I'm guessing that's going to be much pricier.

A plain pale strip might work (the suite's patterned so patterned curtains would be too much pattern for me), but it kind of detracts from the sweeping drama of red velvet curtains that I am imagining. Gah!

How about same shade of red in satin to edge it?

Also , previous owners of my house left me some hideous, but useful, brown cotton velvet curtains. I colour stripped them & re dyed them to suit me using machine dye. Worked a treat & all in cost me