Anyone who loves art and history will cherish this remarkable piece of antiquity nestled amongst acres of mature trees and fields of grasses. Artists Myrtle and Wilfred Stedman built their home bordering the Tesuque Pueblo during the early 1940s. Quite well-known in New Mexico, they sold their artwork in Santa Fe and restored and built adobe homes. “Sted” wrote a well-received book on Santa Fe homes and became art director for New Mexico Magazine. Myrtle channeled her affection for the land and its people into a prolific career as a painter, poet, author, and one of the fore­most authorities on adobe design and construction. In 1948 Myrtle became the first licensed, woman contractor in the state, building and designing a number of homes.  

The honesty of materials is evident from the moment you step onto the traditional long portal with its spectacular front door glass insets. The entry hall has wood walls, a beam and plank ceiling, and a flagstone floor. Myrtle hand-crafted the tin ceiling lamp, and her drawings illuminate four storage closet doors here. To one side of the entry is the great room, with huge, hand-hewn vigas, an over-sized kiva fireplace, and stunning Ski Santa Fe views. Wooden lintels and thick wood planks frame the doorways and windows. They are often different in their stylings throughout the home, enhancing the aesthetic vision. A long bank of windows in the dining area is perfect for communal dining. Built-in shelves frame one side of the fireplace that is angled into the room for enjoying dinner or for resting on armchairs in the living area. Natural mud plaster emanates warmth and coziness. Humble and sweet, the kitchen has wooden floors, handmade cabinets, and drawer pulls fashioned from pieces of leather and wood by Myrtle and Sted when hardware was scarce during the war. A copper countertop with a double farm sink sits in front of a huge window and two full-sized pantry doors have been hand-painted by Myrtle depicting their family life in Tesuque. The library with built-in shelves and flagstone floors is open to both the living room and music room. A bank of divided windows looks onto the front portal from the music room and a long narrow window frames the front yard view. The more formal music room with its grand piano and square tiled floor leads to a large foyer with built-in shelving and a doorway to the backyard and its wonderful wildflower garden. Across from the foyer is a 3⁄4 bath with a palette-shaped mirror that intentionally reflects its surroundings. One wall of the master bedroom is four vertical windows, nearly floor to ceiling, bringing the outside in, and seems meant to be the perfect way to face a new day. To the other side of the entry is a hallway leading to a second bedroom, full bathroom/laundry room, and a third bedroom currently used as a family room. A small chapel made from a broom closet is here as well, with hand-carved statues and a hand-painted window. 

The guest house has a good-sized living room with a kiva fireplace and bancos, a full kitchen, 3⁄4 bath, bedroom, office and unheated laundry room/workshop. Several other out-buildings include a green house and a horse barn with 2 stalls.

This is a charming piece of history to be lived in and enjoyed as a home, a vacation home, or with the addition of a newer home. This 11+ acres of Tesuque near the river is just waiting for the right owners to add a bit of their own history.