If you live in a warm climate face them north if you live in a cold climate face them south...also consider where you would like to have the natural light illuminating your home...like a dark hallway...reading area ....office...art studio...foyer...

north! You get great light, but not the baking heat of the sun. You would definitely need shades if you put them on the south side, probably not needed on the north side. Something to consider is where you're going to put the other stuff that goes on the ceiling (recessed lights, fan, chandelier, speakers, ...). For that reason, I'd recommend only doing one side. You'll get plenty of light.

I have 1 on south side in my kitchen. It has a shade. Velux Solar with remote best thing we did in remodel

Yeah I second the velux recommendation. Mine are velux too, very good.

Thanks for the thoughts! We are going with Velux. Sounds like north might be best? We live in Los Angeles...so am very much thinking south will be too hot now! I was going to get fixed. Bad idea? Better to have ones that open? Thank you!

Yes, north. Are you the kind of person that lives with closed windows all year long? If so, fixed is fine. Me, I love open windows so I like mine to open (automatic, with rain sensor and auto close). They're great for letting hot air out the top of a room and allowing a fresh flow of air in through the windows.

It is not clear why you want skylights in your post.....is your house dark?..would the same amount of money invested in enlarging your windows be more practical and make your interiors feel more open?...if they are for venting warm air there are better ways to do that...if you just want them for aesthetics ...then get the best you can afford ...with all the features you need ....and put them wherever you will enjoy them...they can be a major headache in the future if you skimp on quality...and I always wonder if they get dirty how will you clean them?

Soosun2, I agree, they're wonderful! I enjoy seeing the sky and the tops of trees, and giving the warm air someplace to go means the breeze is great! I have them in by kitchen (3), master bath, and sitting room off one of my guest rooms...so just by the sheer number you can tell I'm a fan! The ones in my kitchen are new and higher end, but the one in my master bath is cheapo fixed builder grade, and the other one opens but it's basically a Home Depot special. I've never had a problem with any of them.

A skylight can face any direction. You would want to change the glass make up for south facing due to heat or other application.