The long and winding road to Stephanie’s career as a clothing designer began in her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. Raised in a home adorned with Asian art and furniture, regular trips to the Nelson Atkins Asian Art Collection and a mother who made her clothes when she was a girl, Stephanie’s personal and artistic aesthetic were formed. After attending Sarah Lawrence College and Columbia University, Stephanie taught preschool in NYC during the 1980's. In 1989 she moved to Upstate New York, near Woodstock, while expecting her son, Aidan. This is when she taught herself to sew and began sewing for herself. Sewing the lining of a coat was so challenging that she decided that the garment deserved to be reversible and her signature design feature was born. Ninety percent of her clothing and handbag designs are reversible. For fifteen years Stephanie sold her designs at craft shows in New York City. Success at these craft shows allowed her to purchase the streamside property where Barneche Design / Stephanie Barnes Studio is situated. From 2003 to 2006 Stephanie took a three year pause from clothing design and worked with a master electrician, training with him in the field and then working with him as an electrician. Stephanie expertly rewires fixtures and lamps and crafts handmade lampshades from vintage and new textiles and trims, in any and all sizes and shapes. Barneche Design is a unique resource for antique lighting, offering antique wall sconces, chandeliers, pendant lights, ceiling mounts and lamps. In addition to regional vintage fabrics, she uses vintage Japanese obis/ kimonos and luxurious new silks, organzas, brocades and tapestry textiles making them into girl’s dresses, clutches and hidden treasures in larger garments. Much of her inspiration derives from the textiles themselves. One of her pleasures as an artist is to help her clients pull down fabrics from her shelves and create clothes that allow them to become their own characters. “I don’t design for the media body...I design for real women” says Stephanie. “I make what I like.” In May 2006, Stephanie created an enchanted shop inspired by the air, the light, the water and the wood of the Catskill Mountains. Located in the former 1890's Chichester Hotel, a bit crooked, a bit whimsical, Barneche embraces a philosophy of recycling and making sure timeless, rustic decorations for the home are made the old fashioned way, by hand and really well. Here, artistry, whimsy and skilled craftsmanship combine. Artful handmade clothing, girls’ dresses, hats, tote bags, clutches and jewelry mingle with elegant barn wood and architectural furnishings and vintage accessories and collectables for the home. In October of 2011, after moving the shop next door to the main house, Stephanie opened The Cottage at Barneche. Formally the building for Barneche Design, it is now a charming vacation rental. The exquisitely renovated 100 year old barn sits on 1 1/2 acres of landscaped and wooded land. It is surrounded on three sides by the picturesque Stony Clove creek and is decorated with rustic handmade furniture, vintage lighting and antiques from Barneche Design and Stephanie Barnes Studio. Email stephanie@barneche.com for your reservation.

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361 Route 214, Chichester New York 1.5 miles from Phoenicia Make it a Catskill Weekend, visit Barneche in Chichester, then see the many other shops in the surrounding areas such as Tannersville, Phoenicia & Woodstock. Fall is leaf season, best time of the year to see Upstate NY.