Velux / skylight windows - how to prevent sun bleaching / fading?

[FantasticMrsFoxx]

We are going to install velux windows in our new extension and when I mentioned to our architect my concerns about sun bleaching of the floor / furniture, he just implied that it was likely to happen.

Does anyone know if having opaque rather than clear glass would make any difference, or do we definitely need some kind of blinds?

Roof faces East so gets morning to mid afternoon sun.

I've got a very sunny west facing lounge and the sun all afternoon does make things fade. I don't think there's much to be done to stop it apart from keeping blackout blinds down all the time - not a great idea. I just went for light wood floors and soft furnishings so the effects of the sun are not really noticeable.

We haven"t noticed any bleaching of colour
However, the noise of the rain is a different matter
I hope its not your bedroom OP , as we are still being woken by rain , and its been 3 years so I don"t think we will get used to it

Even a white/beige blind will soften the sun, and you will still get an impression of sunlight.

The material ages faster in the sun, and after a while will tear or split.

Thanks all. The extension is for a new kitchen diner but we have velux in the bedrooms in our loft conversion and they are really noisy when it rains.
They face South/West actually and I've not noticed any significant fading in the bedrooms so we might be ok....

Have a look at electric OUTSIDE blinds. Velux even have solar powered versions. Have the switches installed where easily accessed. Then close the blinds anytime you are leaving the house or room for a few hours.

You can put a film on the glass to protect your furniture from sun damage .

Remember you can get different types of glass in your Velux windows - including noise reduction so check out the Velux site for all the options.