Since moving into his new home, Travis Sheridan, of Venture Cafe Global Institute, has had his fair share of curious visitors—many pressing their face against the glass of his front door, desperate for a look inside. And almost all, captured on his doorbell camera. Now, St. Louisans, and those curious neighbors, have a ticket inside on May 11’s Old North House and Community Tour.
“It’s really odd,” he laughs. “It’s not normal human behavior… I understand the curiosity and that’s a reason why we’re wanting to be on the house tour so people can come in a less creepy way to experience and look at the house.”
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Why are people so intrigued? Sheridan lives in St. Louis’ first container home, co-designed by Sheridan and Zack Smithey, who first built a home out of shipping containers in St. Charles. Sheridan and his wife Gina’s former home is also on the tour, and they’ve participated since 2013.
“We knew that when we were building the container house that it would be on the tour,” Sheridan says. “We want to show people what’s possible in, not just St. Louis, but in North St. Louis, and hopefully start to demystify the myths or negative perceptions of North St. Louis.” (The stigma of the house’s location—on the corner of Wright and 14th down the street from Crown Candy—has already caused issues for Sheridan when hiring people to work on the home, as KMOV reported.) He adds: “It’s kind of fun to invite people into your home; nothing better than 300 strangers. And we like to show off all of our art.”
That home’s art is seemingly everywhere, curated from St. Louis—”At least 80 to 90 percent from local artists”—and Fresno, California. One 15-panel woodcut piece from Firecracker Press, depicting a brightly colored solar system, hangs on a wall in the foyer and inspired the color palette for the rest of home’s interior. Also hailing from the couple’s former home in California, a row of red theater seats. In the kitchen, find bright and vibrant Henry Matisse–inspired wallpaper; upstairs, gallery spaces with two custom-made floating walls.
“When you walk inside it does feel very industrial, but it also feels very warm,” Sheridan says. “The walls are covered in drywall and paint so it’s not like we’re living in a steel container on the inside. However, we did leave on each floor strategically placed and remaining steel for aesthetic purposes.”
Sheridan thinks the master bedroom will blow attendees away. “It’s probably one of the most showstopping places,” he says. “The bathroom space is 8 foot by 8 foot, which has a beautiful skylight with a lot of natural light pouring in, a giant black tub, two shower heads, and live plants growing in there. It has this nice industrial feel with the softness of plants. It takes your breath away when you finally get to see it.”
But what will attendees being most taken away by? “I have been trying to answer that myself,” he laughs. “On each floor, there is something really spectacular and the home continues to unfold and reveal itself as people move through it.”
The couple, the home’s contractor, and the home’s designer Zach Smithey will be available for questions as attendees walk through, another part of what Sheridan loves about neighborhood tours.
“It reinforces the hospitable nature of the Midwest, right? We Midwesterners are hospitable,” he says. “Doing a house tour allows people to see that there are people making serious, real and long-term investments into these neighborhoods.”
