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.

We recently returned from a trip to the West Coast, where we found lots of inspiration for home and garden projects. I'm hoping this will be one of several posts where I'll be sharing photos and other tidbits from our Oregon vacation.

First up: This lovely little Hobbit tunnel, a charming feature in the Children's Garden at The Oregon Garden.

As you might imagine, it's the perfect size for kids ... But even some nimble adults can't resist crawling through:

Photos by Jessica Hibbard