Steen Barnes, owner

Cade Barnes, owner

Cecil Barnes and his business partner Thomas Darling establish Barnes Darling at Lang’s Corner in Wollongong.

Cecil buys out his partner and continues alone, making Barnes Darling a byword for quality furniture and bespoke window furnishings in the Illawarra, Southern Highlands and southern NSW.

Cecil’s sons Gwylm, Gareth, and Martin take over the business, retailing iconic Parker Furniture, Chiswell, and many other leading Australian brands. The Barnes family starts a relationship with Luxaflex Window Furnishings that will endure 50+ years.

Barnes Darling closes its doors. Gwylm and Patricia Barnes continue the family business, operating from their family home in Mt Pleasant. The business thrives in the premium end of the market, nurtured by word of mouth.

Steen joins the business officially as a designer and head installer/technician of bespoke window furnishings. His brother Cade follows in 1995 in the same role. Their synergistic combination of design talent, business integrity, and vast experience creates an award-winning dream team. They move the business to a private residence in Mount Ousley, working by appointment only.

Steen and Cade Barnes assume full control of the business with their mother Pat as Gwil fights a tough battle with cancer. They continue building the Barnes reputation for quality by staying true to their father’s ethos, as he stayed true to his father’s before him. Sadly Gwil loses his fight with cancer on 29 December 2000.

Honouring our 32-year relationship, Luxaflex Australia asks us to become one of Australia’s first and Wollongong’s only Luxaflex Window Fashions Gallery. We open a new showroom in Balgownie. With the largest range of high-quality window furnishings and fabrics, and many products exclusive to Barnes Interiors, it’s become a destination for homeowners and design professionals creating premium bespoke designer window treatments.

Reflecting our evolution as one of Wollongong’s most trusted residential and commercial design consultants, Steen Barnes is appointed to the Luxaflex National Advisory Council.

We celebrate 80 years in business and 50 years as Wollongong’s only Luxaflex Window Fashions Gallery. As Luxaflex’s preferred supplier for our area, we are the only store to carry the complete range of Luxaflex products including the Designer, Classic, and Living ranges.