Constructing a new home takes a leap of faith – even more so if the design is unique. When plotting their dream home, Jeff and Misty Bosse wanted a wholly original residence. It had to meet their family and work needs. It should include space for their personal art collection. And it had to be the right fit in the right space.
As much as they desired a home of their own vision, they were willing to take this leap of faith only if they had the help of Jack Faber, a friend and architect at Hafer. Initial plans began in September 2020.
As it turned out, envisioning the home came easy. The trick would be finding the right property. On the riverfront in Newburgh, Indiana, just east of the Old Locks & Dam along French Island Trail, Misty – a real estate broker and general manager at ERA First Advantage in Newburgh – discovered a plot of land for sale. It was perfect because it had woods in the back and ran along the river, features that made the property appealing and picturesque.
Misty, Jeff – the owner of Bosse Title Company – and Jack walked the property together, brainstorming. True, it’s adjacent to the riverfront; however, the land sat oddly off the road and sloped downward, culminating in a deep ravine. “That’s why nobody had ever put a house on it,” Jack says.
The average home layout just wouldn’t work here. With a typical ranch-style home, the house’s garage would face the river, or the bedrooms would, and thus none of the main living spaces would get the sweeping views the Bosses craved. The couple sat down with their friend and decided to map it all out on paper – literally.
At one of the trio’s first meetings, Jack asked the Bosses to write down all the rooms they wanted their home to have. The names of listed rooms were cut into strips of paper, which Jeff and Misty then put in the order they each could see their daily motions flow.
“[Jack] had already put a preliminary plan together, and we were almost all on the same page, which was a relief,” Misty laughs. “We were like totally in sync on what we thought.”
They opted to put the garage as far away from the view as possible. “Misty wanted to be able to be in the kitchen and see the river,” Jack says. “And so, that’s how it was all designed.”
Bedrooms were pushed closer to the rear of the house, and common living spaces were moved forward. “We kept diagramming the house out because, as we pushed and pulled walls, spaces got bigger,” Jack says.
What the three ended up mapping out was a home crafted from a series of rectangular shapes, a layout befitting Misty’s love of transitional design and Jeff’s affinity for mid- century modern.
“We wanted to try to break these up by introducing different colors,” Jack says. The drawings became an assemblage of different shapes, broken up by colors and grid patterns on the outside, while the interiors incorporated soaring ceilings, which harkened to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style, or leaned heavily into a contemporary take on the mid-century modern aesthetic with clean lines and white spaces juxtaposed against pops of color.
The designs were modern and vast, but above all, each room was drawn to lead to a focal feature, whether that was riverfront views or the numerous works of art the couple have amassed over the years.
One of the main living spaces would be near the entryway and present the Bosses’ personally curated art gallery, which runs the gamut of hyper-realistic watercolors to still life oil paintings by Henderson, Kentucky, artist Chris Thomas.
“With this layout, you’re either walking toward art as you’re going out to the garage or you’re walking toward the river,” Jeff says. “We really thought through [the designs].”
While planning for an impromptu art gallery would have been a challenge to some, it was a cinch to Jack. He added customizable light fixtures – Misty went with white instead of the originally planned black – that can easily adjust to focus on the couple’s collection.
“This is why we wanted Jack to design the home,” Misty says.
In fact, the couple swears if you hold up the drawings they sketched of the house as it stands today, you will see no difference between the two.
Once the drawings were completed, the 3D rendering was made, “and we all let out some expletives,” Jeff laughs. “The house looked exactly like we imagined.”
From the moment you walk into the two-story entrance, your lungs expand. To the left, wide swaths of space contain the open-concept kitchen, dining room – featuring a solid wood dining table that belonged to Jeff ’s grandparents – and living room, all with arresting views of the Ohio River. Via the art-laden hall to the north is Misty’s office, guest bedrooms, a three-car garage, laundry facilities – including a step ladder for when the couple’s French bulldogs, Norm and Lulu, need to enter the sink for a bath – and the couple’s primary suite. All entertaining spaces, as well as the couple’s suite, are connected to the outdoor patio, which is tucked into a cove in the house rather than tacked onto the back or end.
Upstairs, the open walkway connects to Jeff ’s office and a balcony overlooking French Island Trail.
“When there’s a sunset, this house [is] amazing,” Jeff says.
The basement level contains a glass-fronted wine cellar – “functional art,” Jeff calls it – storage and additional guest quarters.
Ground was broken in February 2022, and building commenced under the supervision of Greg Kuhlman Construction. Jeff and Misty continued working with Jack as the design moved from paper to reality, refining some details and adapting others.
“We didn’t want to unravel [his] design and make it something weird,” Misty says.
Construction wasn’t finished when Jeff and Misty took up residence in May 2023, but they were ready to start enjoying those river views.
Today, the couple love to entertain in the house, as well as outdoors. The patio includes a grilling area and comfortable seating, looks over the aforementioned shallow ravine – now dotted with curated landscaping – and is flanked by a custom fireplace feature designed by Jack, which will hide a future sunken hot tub.
“I have an issue with most outdoor fire-places because they often don’t look very good when they aren’t being used,” Jack says. “I designed the fireplace feature to look like a modern Corten Steel sculpture during the day to frame views of the trees beyond. But at night, the function becomes apparent when the fire is lit and provides an amazing glow to the outdoor living room.”
The couple says guests always remark upon the experience of entering the home. They are greeted with soaring ceilings and walls hung with art strategically placed for maximum visual appeal.
“[The house] is meant to feel inviting,” Misty says. “But we also wanted to inspire some awe.”
Their residence also is forward-thinking and designed for future accessibility, if the couple chooses to age in place.
“The home has three floors, so we have a core that could one day become an elevator shaft,” Misty says. “This is a storeroom right now. But it’s designed so the floor can come out for a residential elevator.”
The result is a testament to inspired vision, dedication, and teamwork.
“This is very personal because they’re friends,” Jack says.
“[A home] is an investment,” Misty explains. “If you’re spending the money, you want to spend it wisely. You don’t want to have to go back and redo something because you didn’t consider a detail.”
BOSSE HOME DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION RESOURCE GUIDE
Jack Faber, AIA, Jason Southwell, and Avery Reiter, Hafer
Architect and interior designers, respectively
haferdesign.com
812 Concrete Coatings
Garage floor
812garagefloors.com
Altstadt Hoffman Plumbing Services
Plumbing
altstadtplumbing.com
Benny’s Flooring
Flooring
bennysflooringin.com
Bippus Frame Shop
Art framing
bippusframeshop.com
CCS
Cabinetry
customcabinetsllc.com
Combs Landscape
Landscaping and irrigation
combslandscape.com
Complete Electric
Electrical
812-401-1858
Coulup Construction
Trim
812-573-1961
D & J Complete Construction
Exterior insulation finishing systems and siding
dandjcomplete.com
D & L Granite
Quartz counter tops, back splashes, and Jeff’s custom desk
dl-granite.com
Earl Parker, Parker’s Custom Ironworks
Custom metal fabrication
facebook.com/ParkersCustomIronworksLlc
Elite Tile & Marble Inc.
Interior tile installation
812-455-5514
Evansville Winsupply
Plumbing fixtures
winsupplyinc.com
Greg Kuhlman Construction
General contractor
gregkuhlmanconstruction.com
Hahn Brothers Drywall
Drywall
hahnbrothersdrywall.com
Head’s Construction
Roofing
headsconstruction.com
Illuminating Expressions
Lighting
illuminatingexpressions.com
Insulpro Inc.
Insulation
insulproinsulation.com
Kight Home Center
Building materials, framing, doors and trim
kighthomecenter.com
Kings Great Buys Plus
Appliances
kingsgreatbuys.com
Kip Farmer
Art gallery design
kipfarmer.com
Lea Matthews Furniture & Interiors
(now closed) Furnishings
Lensing Building Specialties
Windows
lensingbuildingspecialties.com
Louisville Tile
All interior tile
louisville-tile.com
Niehaus Construction Framing
House framing
812-490-8283
Paragon Sight Sound Security
Security and networking
evansvillehometheater.com
People’s Furniture
Furnishings
peoplesfurniture.com
Room & Board
Furnishing
roomandboard.com
Stella’s Finishing Touches
Furnishings
stellasfinishingtouches.com
Tri-State Stone of Evansville
Stone veneer
tristatestoneofevansville.net
