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Bob Reade was born in Carmel and raised on Monterey property his family purchased from the original Fields family, in a house built during the Spanish Land Grant era. Unsurprisingly, then, he holds deep affection for the style and mood of the Monterey colonial. When it came time to settle with his wife and children (eventually four) into their own home, Reade decided to design it directly from his boyhood memories.

Reade’s house was completed in ‘82 and plenty of living took place continuously thereafter. Knowing it would be so, his plans included a round parking area at the end of the languidly curving driveway (lined by Italian cypress) where he rightfully knew multiple cars would frequently be.

“We had barbecues all the time in the summers,” Reade laughs. “I used to brew about five gallons of beer at a time.” Having created a riverfront Monterey colonial on four acres with its private artesian well, four bedrooms, three fireplaces, 2.5 baths and a deck over a portion of a back lawn big enough to land a chopper, one imagines Reade entertaining as a matter of course.

The social accessibility of the property is in perfect balance with the stately elegance inherent in the design, scale and details of the house itself—and is only one worthy note among many. There’s no hint from Paso del Rio of what’s there, so when a guest arrives, the setting is suddenly presented, the grand prize as the curtains draw back. The whole place is unpretentiously beautiful. The handmade garden walls and house create a form like arms curved open to welcome all who enter.

Reade designed wide double doors for the front entry that open into large, light-flooded rooms. Directly off the foyer, through an archway to the left, is the formal living room, where a fireplace is framed by crown molding in two tiers, the second of which runs from the mantle to the ceiling. In the center of the ceiling hangs a chandelier both graceful and hardy in appearance. “That was copied from one we had in the dining room of the original house,” says Reade. “This one was made in a little shop in Salinas, enamel and gilded wrought iron.” At the far end, in the dining room, French doors open to the vastness of the back lawn with its crafted stucco wall and fat blooming tropical plantings along it.

The remodeled kitchen is done with paned glass cabinets and granite counter tops and contains a breakfast room that takes full advantage of the views to the garden and access to the aforementioned deck via French doors. Just beyond the kitchen is a huge bonus room perfect for rainy days.

To the right of the foyer is a library. It’s absolutely stunning. The walls are honey oak panels with a grain so eloquently articulated no art could better represent the room. The fireplace is surrounded with black marble veined in gold. Built-in bookcases span an entire wall. What a privileged and private space it is. Every accoutrement in the house adds to an overall sense of the personal, of warmth and heart and not one commercial shadow anywhere.

Upstairs, the master suite and other bedrooms are roomy and filled with light from the four directions. The master opens onto a long veranda through French doors offering full views of Garland Park next door. It’s superb horse property. Reade says, “It would be wonderful for people who respect all the privacy and natural beauty here.” Yes.

Price: $1,995,000. 13 Paso del Rio Rd., Carmel Valley. Contact Jana Bradford (915-0522) or Mark Wilson (238-5446) of Morgan Lane Real Estate.