KEEPING LIFE COLOURFUL: LIGHT
Light can have a variety of effects on colour over time. Visible light contributes to fading and discoloration, but of more concern is the damage which colours may suffer under prolonged exposure to non-visible light, such as ultraviolet and infrared lighting. Ideally, colours should be exposed too as little light as possible, and preferably exist in total darkness. However, in real-world situations this is highly impractical.
Natural light is the most common source of ultraviolet light, and as such, care should be taken to avoid exposure to direct sunlight at all costs. If a room relies on natural light, UV screens or coatings can be applied to the windows to block harmful rays while still allowing light to pass through. Carefully chosen window treatments designed to block light from fabrics will help.
Fluorescent and halogen, tungsten produced light (hid ... high intensity discharge) can also produce large amounts of UV radiation, though filters which fit over the bulbs are available to limit the damaging light.
One advantage of fluorescent lights is that they produce little heat, which may also be harmful to textiles. Incandescent lights produce a large amount of heat in addition to large quantities of infrared radiation, which is likewise damaging to the dyes of antique textiles. If incandescent lights must be used, they should be placed far enough away from fabrics that their heat cannot be felt.
In some installations , you may consider motion-activated or timed lighting, which would allow the textiles to remain in limited light when they are not in use.