Photo: Waldhaus: A sign in German in front of Jann and Kevin Crowe Stout''s Carmel home reflects the love of their "tree house"

Jann Crowe Stout is one of those homeowners whose personality is mirrored uncannily in her home. Although she is the mother of three children up to age eighteen, her voice, appearance and clothing have a youthful, fun quality. Her 2,100-square-foot redwood home, set in the Carmel oaks a few blocks north of Ocean Avenue, reflects her spirit: it has the maturity of an older home in the neighborhood, but also has spunk.

In the living room, beamed ceilings, wood floors, and walls painted in a buttercream shade, create a feeling of comfort and grace. Like the rest of the house, the entertainment center is faux-painted, making what could be mundane, interesting.

"We had the whole house done by artist Tina Martinez," Jann says.

Long window-seats wrap around the room, which is centered by a stone fireplace. Jann points to the front end of the house.

"This was the original house," she explains. "It was only 900 square feet." The previous owners took down a wall between two tiny bedrooms and created a larger, single bedroom on the first floor, and turned the former tiny kitchen into an entry nook by the front door.

Jann leads the way to the kitchen and neighboring family room, a large, bright expanse of light wood and open beams that go all the way to the second story. Doors lead to a backyard with stone paths leading between the mature trees, trickling fountain, and a hot tub hidden in a corner of the yard.

"When we moved in, there weren''t any doors to the backyard, which was just dirt and pine needles," Jann says. "We moved the fireplace in the family room over, added the doors, and cleaned up the yard."

Above the sandy-stoned family room fireplace, a delicate design of vines is hand-painted, a motif that''s also repeated above the tiled sage green and light beige backsplash in the open kitchen.

"It was very white, very stark, " Jann recalls of the former kitchen. "We added the wood counter top and I put in the tiles myself."

As she talks, a Pug named Polo chases a stuffed rabbit around the room. A cockatoo named Stanley flutters near Jann''s head. Outside, a cat, a Great Dane, and another pet bird inhabit the garden, and the enclosed dog run beside it. But despite the friendly menagerie, it''s a lived-in home that manages to remain elegant.

Above the family room Jann points out "the triangle", a loft-like space on the second story that used to be a catwalk between the upstairs rooms. Facing a giant pane of glass that looks out to the garden, the expanded area is now a cozy nook for the family to hang out and watch TV.

Next to the loft, a bedroom fronted by a large, slate-tiled balcony sports floor-to-ceiling windows. The opposing wall is painted with large yellow flowers.

"Tina said she was bored one day, and this is what she did," Jann laughs.

In the master bedroom, cushioned window-seats wrap around the room. A niche hides a TV behind blue-painted wood doors inset with glass.

But it''s the L-shaped master bath that steals the show. Double sinks in the white-tiled room sit under a large mirror with elegant, art-deco style lights. Then there''s the tub. A raised, jetted oval is sunk in the middle of a sea of pristine tile, with a chrome hand shower mounted on the deck. Windows provide a tree-lined view all the way to Point Lobos.

A glass wall behind the tub separates the space from a two-person shower with a tiled seating ledge. Behind the shower, a door hides a toilet next to walls with more faux-painted designs.

A linen closet, and a professionally designed walk-in closet cap off the bathroom.

"Look at this," says Jann. "You can sit in the tub, watch TV, and see Point Lobos. I mean, what more do you want?"

Price: $1,399,000. Casanova 4 NE and Palou, Carmel. Contact: Roger Parkes of Coldwell Banker Del Monte Real Estate at 626-2221.