Peek inside the stunning personal residence of Humphrey Homes interior designer Katie Bossong
When an interior designer creates their own home — with no client to please but themselves — it’s a chance to discover what really makes them tick.
For Katie Bossong, it’s French 18th-century interiors.
She was intent on integrating a statement lobby, the defining feature being the octagon and dot floor tiles she’d seen in the bistros, apartments and chateaus around Paris.
“I wanted people to walk in and feel like they were in a really high-end Parisian apartment,” Ms Bossong said.
“I have this obsession with Paris and Parisian architecture and the beautiful detail and pattern they use in their 17th and 18th century interiors.”
As it turns out, the effortless chic the French are famous for requires lots of effort if you live in Perth.
“I wanted to create this huge lobby that you walk into when you enter the home that has a certain type of floor tile, and the problem was I discovered it didn’t exist here,” she said.
“I sent photos out of what I wanted to all my suppliers in Perth and none of them could get it right.
“I ended up finding and buying tiles in the perfect upscaled size and colour — a greige stone kind of look — and I had them all laser jet cut here in Perth to create an octagon and then I bought little 100 x 100 natural marble inserts and our tiler laid them all on-site.
“The entry has turned out to be quite dramatic — but I love it.”
Ms Bossong said the architecture of her new custom built South Perth home — defined by curves, arches and strong horizontal lines — was inspired by a 1930s Spanish Mission residence that had previously graced the site, as well as the surrounding landscape where some fine examples of Moderne architecture, including the heritage-listed Cygnet Cinema, remain.
Also high on her list of priorities was creating a practical layout for a growing family, as well as flexible spaces for the future enjoyment of their home.
“We have two children — Chloe is 13 and Harry is 10 — and we designed the home so it has purpose for every stage of our life with the idea that it can transition seamlessly into each stage,” explained Ms Bossong.
“There are four bedrooms and every bedroom has a bathroom, and there are two studies, two lounge rooms, a powder room and the backyard has a pool and a full-sized basketball court that can also become a pickleball court.”
“There is also a gym on the lower level with a fifth bathroom and this can be accessed from outside the home or used as another bedroom.”
One of her favourite spaces is the breakfast nook for everyday meals and coffees, with its banquet seating and a table hand-crafted by her brother Nathan Day.
While a larger dining area exists off the kitchen, Ms Bossong is predicting the nook will be pulling its weight and then some once the family move in later this month.
Custom laser cut floor tiles create a dramatic entry to the house.
As she always does for her clients, she assessed her own family’s needs before designing each space to make sure it would work in harmony with their own daily rituals and rhythms.
The result is a very functional family residence of timeless elegance where every detail has been lovingly crafted.
And it’s not surprising, given Ms Bossong has specified the interiors for dozens of beautiful homes in the western suburbs.
For the past six years she’s been one of the in-house interior designers for Cottesloe-based Humphrey Homes, the registered architectural practice and builder she then tasked to build this deeply personal project.
In what was to be a culmination of everything she had ever learned, she took on the mantle of interior designer, while architect Helen Marchesani and director Dean Humphrey’s team of building trades brought her ideas to life.
She said she settled on Humphrey Homes after having seen time and time again what the company had achieved for their clients.
“You have the whole team — architect, interior designer and builder — working together as one, so I knew the process would be seamless and incredibly enjoyable and it really was, though at times I put a level of pressure on myself that I can only blame myself for,” Ms Bossong said.
“It was the details that caused me the most stress.
“I understand detail and how even when detailing cabinets you can take them to another level and because I know how to do it, I was always pushing myself to reach that next level because for my own house I wanted to achieve an elevated sophistication that really plays on the detail.”
To that end, the custom moulded arches and curved steel framed doors go beyond being decorative, defining zones and framing pretty views.
The slimline bricks set into soft curves throughout were all hand-made, while the edging of each natural stone countertop has been beautifully detailed. Rooms everywhere are awash with marble. “The stonemason did the most spectacular stone vanity for me,” says Ms Bossong.
“It’s all marble, including the sink, and it has a double bullnose front on it so it’s an absolute masterpiece.
“Those are the beautiful things that I love to design.”
However, she said designing her own home has been an altogether different experience to designing homes for her clients.
For starters, her passionate embrace of natural stone and its imperfection, which is seen everywhere in her home, is something many of her own clients would shy away from, which she understands.
“I get to know my clients very, very well before I design for them but in this case I was my own client and I knew what I wanted,” she explained.
“Some of my clients worry about having marble because of staining which means it is not the right product for them.
“For me, the beauty is in its story and that it has been used so when marks and stains happen at my house I will just roll with it and think to myself, ‘At least it’s getting loved’.”
Article by Katie Hampson. First published in The West Australian and Western Suburbs Weekly, July 2, 2026