Tucked away in a rough-and-tumble landscape in western Montana is a retreat for a retired clinical psychologist and art collector who wanted to be closer to her family, which had recently settled there. That proximity comes with a catch, though—it’s far away from just about everything else. After reaching Avon, population 114, cellular service cuts out, so printed directions are a must for the remaining 30-minute drive to Helmville. But the Four Roof House—T.W. Ryan Architecture’s second Record House—is well worth the trek. Here, the architect delivers tough cowboy modernism with an artful edge.

Photo © Joe Fletcher, click to enlarge.