DURHAM - The Home of the Month series is a collaborative effort with the N.C. State University College of Design through its Home Environments Design Initiative. Featured homes, selected by an expert panel, highlight the benefits of good home designs and represent the diversity of homes and home renovations designed by North Carolina architects. The articles, written by faculty, graduate students and alumni of the School of Architecture, bring to light the exemplary attributes of each home. Our goal is to offer inspiration and knowledge that can be applied to your living space.

'Others have houses; we have a work of art," say Toril Moi and David Paletz, proud owners of a minimalist house in the Duke Forest area of Durham.

In fact, one of the earliest study models of the house reminded Moi of a piece by favorite sculptor Anthony Caro. What makes their house -- with spaces that connect inside to outside -- a work of art is not only its aesthetic richness but also the collaborative design process.

It's no surprise that Paletz, Duke University's coordinator of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, found inspiration in a film. From a documentary about the making of Richard Meier's Getty Museum in Los Angeles, Paletz and Moi gleaned a phrase that captured their vision for a house: "Interconnected Spaces Bathed in Light."

With their phrase in hand, Paletz and Moi looked for an architect who could speak their language and interpret their vision. They connected with Kenneth Hobgood, an award-winning, internationally recognized Raleigh architect, and began their collaboration. "Kenneth got it," Moi recalls, "and understood our vision for the house." Hobgood met with Paletz and Moi once a week for about a year before putting pen to paper. Moi, James B. Duke Professor of Literature and Romance Studies at Duke, describes the process as similar to psychoanalysis. The process generated a mutual respect for one another's work, and the house became common intellectual ground between architect and clients.

Moi and Paletz were genuinely interested in the design process and in working with Hobgood to ensure the functionality of their house. While the homeowners gush over their house's inspiring spaces and its ability to connect inside to outside, they are quick to point out that the house is purely functional.

Paletz and Moi, each born in Europe, do not concern themselves with typical American amenities. "There isn't a single wasted space in the house," Moi says. There is no attic, no garage, no his and her sinks or bathrooms, no bonus room, no cathedral ceiling, no spaces to collect clutter. In fact the couple are quick to point out that the only clutter in the house belongs to Paletz's son, who is away teaching film in Prague. The couple trade otherwise underused spaces for two offices, a film screening room, a multitude of bookcases and three outdoor terraces to meet their needs.

On the slope

Built in 2002, the three-story, two-wing house sits atop a steep wooded site. Hobgood takes advantage of the slope by locating the main entry at a midlevel that contains a double-height living and dining space, a galley kitchen and Moi's office. An open stair, lined with bookcases, connects the three levels of the main wing of the house. A film viewing room, which requires less daylight, is on the lower level with the laundry room, mechanical room and walkout access to the backyard. The master bedroom suite and Paletz's office are on the upper level of the main wing. The two-bedroom guest suite hovers above the carport in a perpendicular wing.

Next page >

Get $150+ in coupons in every Sunday N&O. Click here for convenient home delivery.