Today, the designs of roof windows are distinguished by their originality. These can be inclined, cornice openings in the roof, structures that transform into a balcony, extensions and additional decorative elements. But after installing the windows, the question immediately arises: how to protect the room from the flow of light that penetrates into the home in excess in the summer? After all, the non-standard shape of the openings and the inclined location complicate the task. The most rational solution is to install special roller blinds on the roof windows.

Pink textiles with white print in the interior of the attic
Not every curtain can be fixed to a dormer window in a way that is functional and looks aesthetically pleasing.

How did dormer windows appear?

The architect Francois Mansart was the first to suggest using the space under the roof to create a living room in the 18th century. The design of the rooms turned out to be unusual. The idea was liked by Europeans for its originality and the ability to use attic spaces. But the simple and ingenious idea had one significant drawback – lack of light. The problem was solved in the 20th century by the Danish engineer Willum Kann Rasmussen. He created slanted dormer windows.

Black bed in white attic room
Dormer windows have solved the problem of lighting attic rooms once and for all

Types and features

Dormer windows are located at the highest level of the house. They serve to illuminate the room directly under the roof. Therefore, their main feature is the slope and unusual shapes. The design can be different:

  • Beveled. The most common type of attic "skylight". Mounted vertically into the roof. Due to the angular slopes of the roof, the opening is beveled.
  • Cornice or facade. A regular standard rectangular window, but installed in a wall under the roof.
  • Balcony. When opening the floor-length glass sections, you get something like an exit to a loggia. Some versions have terraces that you can easily access.
  • Panoramic. They occupy a large area of ​​the roof slope. They let in a lot of light, making the room more spacious.
Automatic roller blinds on roof windows
For windows on the ceiling of the room, curtains with remote control are relevant

Shading methods

Shading of the attic space is a very relevant issue. After all, in summer, without sun protection, the area under the roof heats up twice as fast. Attic openings have their own specifics - an oblique slope line and non-standard configurations. Therefore, only certain types of sun protection devices are suitable for them. According to the type of installation, they are divided into the following types:

  1. Internal. Installed indoors.
  2. External. Protect from light from the outside.
Control of roof roller shutters with a remote control
When choosing curtains, you need to decide whether you need complete blackout or whether it is enough to simply adjust the intensity of natural light.

The following are internal light filtration devices:

  1. Roller shutters with side guides.
  2. Pleated blinds.
  3. Black-Out fabric panels.
  4. Blinds made of aluminum and plastic.

Roller shutters with side guides

Roller blinds are fixed on the sides with the help of guides. This eliminates sagging of the canvas, which is important for inclined structures. If the roller blinds are at a height, they must be equipped with a remote-controlled mechanism.

Cassette type roller blind on a wooden frame of a roof window
Cassette roller blind with side guides is installed on the roof window sash

Pros

  • Simplicity of design.
  • Easy installation.
  • Reliable protection from light.
  • Low price.
  • A huge selection of models in color and texture.
  • Good fixation on inclined surfaces due to side guides.
  • Many mounting options – on the wall and ceiling, inside the opening, on each leaf.
Light green roller blinds on attic windows
Cassette blinds save space and are very convenient to use.
Roller blind with photo printing on the window of a children's room in the attic
Curtains with photo printing easily replace a panel or painting and allow you to quickly and originally decorate a room

Cons

  • The design is not particularly durable. It will have to be used with extreme care.
  • Some models are attached with special tape. At high temperatures the glue may melt.

Pleated blinds

Externally, they look like regular blinds. But they do not consist of lamella strips, but of fabric (polyester), which folds "into an accordion" when raised. "Pleated" blinds are made in different sizes and colors. Such sun protection devices are used, among other things, to darken rooms under the roof.

Decorating non-standard windows with pleated blinds
Pleated blinds with an original geometric pattern look interesting and original.

Pros

  • Suitable for any, even the most non-standard, configurations.
  • Space saving. Pleated blinds can be installed on each sash. The window sill area will remain free.
  • The convenient control system allows you to mount light protection on surfaces located at an angle.
  • Durability. The pleated material is impregnated with a composition that repels dust and keeps the shape of the canvas for a long time.
Pleated blinds on triangular roof windows
Pleated blinds are indispensable when decorating windows of non-standard configurations

Cons

  • Complex care. The canvas needs constant care – wash only by hand (at 30⁰). For cosmetic care, it is enough to wipe the surface with a soft sponge.
  • High cost due to complex production process.
Paper pleated blinds on the attic windows
An alternative to fabric accordions are inexpensive paper pleated blinds, but their service life is significantly shorter.

Black-Out Fabric Panels

Made of opaque fabric and absorb light by 80-90%. Allows you to almost completely shade the room, justifying its name (from English "black-out" darkening). A relevant option if you plan to convert the attic area into a bedroom.

Bedroom interior with thick curtains on dormer windows
When organizing a bedroom in an attic, blackout curtains will be the ideal solution

Pros

  • Excellent light protection. The dense texture allows you to create pitch darkness even on the brightest day.
  • Sound absorption capacity (coefficient – ​​30).
  • Easy to care for. Black-out roller blind fabric is easy to wash and does not require ironing.
  • The fabric repels dust and is resistant to fading and mechanical damage.
  • Often fabric roller blinds are impregnated with a fire-resistant compound.
  • High aesthetic qualities.
  • Wide choice of design. Any picture or photo can be applied to the roller blinds. This gives the opportunity to create an original interior according to your own design.
Carrot blackout curtains on a roof window
It is noteworthy that blackout curtains can be almost any color, even the lightest, and this does not affect their ability to shade the room at all.

Cons

  • Expensive. Black-out panels undergo many stages of processing during production. Therefore, such "curtains" are not cheap.
Roof windows with roller blinds made of thick fabric
Complete blackout is only possible when the fabric is secured in the side guides, eliminating the appearance of gaps.

Blinds

They are made of thin aluminum, plastic, bamboo, a new model is isolight. The slats do not obscure the panorama, but at the same time protect the rooms from sunlight. They allow you to regulate the flow of light entering the room. For inclined openings, blinds with guides made of steel strings, masked on top with plastic or aluminum, are best suited.

Aluminum blinds on the bathroom window in the attic
The blinds let in light perfectly when open and completely cover the window when closed.

Pros

  • Light adjustment. The slats can be turned at a certain angle. This allows more or less light to enter the room. By tightly closing the structure, you can isolate the room from prying eyes.
  • Compatibility. Blinds are easily combined in the interior with tulle and curtains.
  • Easy to maintain. Just wipe the surface with a soft sponge from time to time.
  • Possibility of repair. A broken lamella can be easily replaced with a new one.
  • Affordable price.
Attic Bedroom Interior with Bamboo Curtains
Bamboo blinds look extravagant, light and elegant

Cons

  • The slats often make sounds during ventilation or when exposed to a draft.
  • In some cases, repair of individual slats is not possible.
White sofa in front of attic windows with aluminum blinds
Aluminum blinds get very hot, so they should not be installed on windows facing south.

External light protection devices include:

  1. marquisette;
  2. roller shutters.

Marquisette

Externally similar to a fabric roller blind, but is installed on the outside. The canvas is made of fine polymer mesh. Such mesh material is capable of holding back light by 60%. At the same time, awnings do not allow the glass to overheat, effectively protecting from heat. Installed on models with a rotary or rotary-tilt design. The degree of opening/closing of the awning is easily adjusted and fixed with special hooks.

Fitting roof windows with external awnings
There are quite serious requirements for attic awnings in terms of the reliability of the fittings and the wear resistance of the fabric.

Pros

  • Provides good protection from light streams without obscuring visibility.
  • Protects against glass overheating. Thanks to the awnings in the attic room, the temperature can be reduced to 5⁰ in summer.
  • Possibility of automatic control using solar panels. In this case, the remote mechanism does not need to be wired to the attic.
  • Allows air to flow without raising the roller shutters. The awning is firmly fixed to the frame, so the transom can be opened at any angle.

Cons

  • Do not provide complete darkening.

Roller shutters

They look like blinds. Roller shutters are also made of steel or aluminum slats. But the operating principle is slightly different. Roller shutters are raised on a shaft that rotates to roll up the canvas.

Pivot roof window with external roller shutters
Roller shutters muffle noise during rain and hail in summer, and reduce heat loss and snow load on windows in winter

Pros

  • Provides reliable protection from sunlight.
  • Provides absolute blackout.
  • They protect from heat in summer. In winter, they reduce heat loss by about 20%.
  • They perform a security function. They can protect against burglary.

Cons

  • High price.
  • Complexity of installation.

Roller blinds are the perfect choice for shading the attic

Today, more and more people prefer large panoramic glazing. And if such a structure appears on the roof, the design will be ultra-modern. But one problem arises. It will be quite difficult to shade such huge glass inserts. Roller blinds with side guides for panoramic windows are considered the best means of protection from the sun today for a number of reasons: they are easy to select according to the size of giant openings, they are easy to operate and are tightly fastened.

Multicolored roller blinds on the windows of a children's room in the attic
Roller blinds with guides are the perfect solution for a child's room

This simple and convenient device is a piece of fabric that is rolled onto a shaft using a special mechanism. The design has another name – a fabric roller blind. When folded, it looks like a roll. Roller blinds look more presentable than blinds. They are more practical than regular fabric curtains. And most importantly, they allow you to firmly fix the fabric, which prevents it from sagging on an inclined surface.

Loft style attic with roller blinds on the windows
For a loft-style attic, plain roller blinds with a smooth or metallized surface are suitable.

There are several options for roller blinds material:

  • Black-out – creates complete darkening of the room due to special weaving or special impregnation.
  • Screen – allows you to remain invisible from the outside, but external panoramas are clearly visible from the inside.
White minimalist bedroom with skylights
Roller blinds are perfect for decorating interiors in a minimalist style.

They are mounted in several ways:

  • On the frame.
  • Inside the opening.
  • Above the opening.
Interior of a nursery for a girl in the attic of a private house
Roller blinds with pink panels will add freshness and romanticism to the room

Important. For large segments, roller shutters with a reinforced bottom bar are selected. It should firmly hold the canvas from below.

Interior of a children's room in the attic with light roller blinds
The choice of fabrics for attic roller blinds is in the dozens, so you can easily choose the right option

Each segment can be equipped with a separate roller blind. They can be controlled separately or centrally.

Velux blinds for non-standard windows

Velux is a company founded by Villum Kann Rasmussen. The company produces building materials for the implementation of the most original design solutions in the design of attic interiors. In addition, the Velux company produces a whole series of sun protection blinds for roof windows of non-standard configurations and produces decorative accessories for them.

Velux Double Blinds on Roof Windows
The company offers an interesting solution in the form of double curtains, consisting of a roller blind and a pleated curtain, which provides soft, diffused lighting.

Velux roof window blinds come in different types:

  1. Blinds.
  2. "Pleated"
  3. Roller shutters.
  4. Rolled.
  5. Roman.
  6. Japanese panels.
  7. Blackout curtains.
Bedroom interior in the attic
Roman blinds in a soft lilac shade in a small fusion style bedroom

The main advantage of this brand is Danish quality, durability, harmless materials, wide range. The Velux company has existed for over 70 years and is considered the strongest brand in the field of building materials. It is famous for its non-standard and ultra-modern solutions, primarily in the field of attic space design. It uses scientific developments in the creation of all its products. For this purpose, once every two years, the company's specialists hold symposiums where issues of natural lighting and energy saving are studied.

Video: Installing Velux blinds on a roof window

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaE3jM2P66U

Photo of attic curtains