Rick Szczechowski and Donna Godert are visionaries of our modern day. He, a lifelong photographer, and she, an interior designer who just struck a recent chord of fame when she designed the home that won the Peoples Choice Award in the 2025 Missoula Parade of Homes. The house had a mountain modern vibe, thoughtfully complete with warm but not-to-be-overlooked details at every angle. And as it turns out, this truly is Donna's specialty since having moved from California to Montana with Rick, who has adorned their own mountain modern home in Lolo with fine art photography.
"I was a nervous wreck because it was my own home and I wanted it perfect," says Donna, recounting how she inadvertently put her lifetime of design skills on full display for the builder of their home when she asked (maybe insisted) if she could have some liberties with customization. A flood of samples and photos came together in Donna's mind—a collection of places peppered throughout the country. Her vision, which is second nature considering her professional expertise, sought out the materials, textures, and colors that were needed to achieve a fully curated home of past lives while embracing their new one.
The biggest souvenir is the architecture—an Eichler-esque design, which is inspired by modernists with midcentury roots. “They’re fabulous,” says Donna. “They remind us of Palm Springs. Our first love with the house was the architecture. We are elated to be here in Lolo…we used to live in the city, we don’t need that anymore in our life. We like living with cows.”
The notable slanted roof, steel, and color palate of the exterior is reflective of what's inside. The home is situated in what feels like a wildlife sanctuary with a marsh-like foreground, beside the long driveway Donna always pictured in a “someday” home. Two ponds, mature birches, and aspens complete the natural surroundings. And like every good Montanan (native or transplant), they thrive in their outdoor spaces.
A barbecue shack lends the opportunity to carry on what's been a 20-year tradition for the creative couple. “We use that year round," says Rick. "It could be like 10 degrees outside and we’re out there...Every Friday night—almost every Friday—we’ll make pizza and wings in that pizza oven. It’s like a Buffalo tradition, pizza and wings.” And since Rick is originally from Buffalo, New York, the long winters aren't a cause for concern.
A sauna is the latest addition. Aside from moving a fence line to gain more livable space and having a base built, Rick and Donna designed and made another staycation dream space. It's a no-phone-allowed capsule where daily rejuvenation awaits. The day fades away and a new daily practice of peace is born.
"Sharing our talents and creativity with everyone here, and just working with these builders—the gratitude just kind of amplifies how we live. Be kind, be creative, be generous and give," says Donna, who in her breath, invites my husband and I over for pizza night.
The thing that both Donna and Rick have achieved is not insurmountable. Sometimes we forget that our home turf is really a nest. It should be fluffed, spruced up, added to, subtracted from, and constantly evolving to hold the best version of ourselves. Gratitude comes easy when we recognize what we have to work with, what we can offer, and what comes our way.
On any given evening, Donna can be found on one of her teak Adirondack chairs, sipping a glass of wine as the sun sinks down over the mountains. And Rick might be throwing an axe inside (yes, they have axe throwing because why not?).
"We traveled so much when we first married and when we were younger. We have no desire—outside of Montana—to travel," says Donna. "We went up to Glacier and it blew our minds. We just want to stay here. We love our house so much. Rick has always said, 'My last house—I want it to be a place where we don't need to feel like we need to travel anywhere because we love where we live.'"Suffice it to say that that goal has been met, and we can all be inspired to make our home feel more like the paradise it is."