A walking tour of historic homes in our area would likely feature brick antebellum houses or ornate turn-of-the-century Victorians. There are plenty of older homes in Corvallis, Oregon, but more modern architecture receive some much-deserved attention, too.

On our summer vacation, we stopped in at the visitors center in Corvallis, looking for some interesting sightseeing suggestions. They had brochures for several different walking tours, one of which spotlights "Atomic Ranch" homes. Turns out Atomic Ranch is a book and a magazine, all about design and decor for mid-century modern ranch homes.

The thing that struck me most about our walking tour? The front lawns! Actually, to be fair, they weren't lawns at all ... And that's why they were so impressive. Most homes in the neighborhood had wondefully wild gardens that seemed a perfect contrast to the clean lines and geometric designs of mid-century ranch homes. (Another bonus: Landscaping without turf is better for wildlife and uses less water ... Though I'm sure eco-friendly Oregonians already know that.)

Here's more eye-candy from our Oregon trip. These vignettes are from Rejuvenation, a Portland shop that sells "classic light fixtures and restoration hardware," as well as furniture and housewares.

(As an aside, I should mention that I'm seeing this color combination popping up everywhere. If you like to follow trends, keep an eye out for coral and turquoise with natural wood tones.)

If you can handle even more inspiration from Rejuvenation, there are more photos here.

	Photo by Jessica Hibbard Outside the Saarinen exhibit. Unfortunately, photos weren't allowed inside ... Otherwise, no one would buy the pricy exhibit book from the NBM gift shop!

Through August 23, the National Building Museum is featuring an exhibit on Eero Saarinen, the pivitol mid-century modern architect and designer.

What's that? You think you don't know Eero Saarinen? Sure you do. The Jefferson Expansion Memorial (also known as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis), Dulles International Airport, and the super-chic Tulip Chair are all Saarinen icons.

Mid-century modern is amazingly hot right now, and to understand Saarinen and his contemporaries helps to understand the entire aesthetic.

So what I'm saying is, you should go. Go now, before the exhibit closes. As the National Building Museum's exhibit brochure says, "Nearly a half-century after his death, Eero Saarinen is perhaps more influential than ever."

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	Photo by Washington and Lee University and Daiku Woodworking From top: Japanese tea room and preparation area at Washington and Lee University; Exterior and interior views of a tea room by Daiku Woodworking

Dr. Janet Ikeda, of Washington and Lee University, was the featured guest lecturer at FCC a couple of weeks ago. The topic: Aesthetics of the Japanese Tea Ceremony. I decided to attend sort of on a whim, and I’m really glad I did. The tea ceremony has a long history (over 800 years) and is an intricate, 4-5 hour process consisting of two servings of tea, a full meal, two servings of sweets, and a long list of formalities. But there are some simple, underlying principles that can help us make our homes more pleasant for our guests and for ourselves.

Lessons learned:

Interview with Dr. Janet Ikeda on NPR (Windows Media Player)

Dr. Ikeda had some fantastic photos in her presentation, and I've emailed her to request a few of them for publication on this blog. I'll post them as soon as I hear back from her.

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