Weird Homes Tour: Here's what you'll see Saturday in metro Detroit

Allie Gross | Detroit Free Press

Shanise Tucker is excited for you to come see her house. The 43-year-old, whose house is described as a "funky house bursting with creative style and color" will be participating this Saturday in the first-ever Weird Homes Tour in Detroit.

"I've been told my house is weird. In my own mind it's not so much weird as it's inspiring and really, really colorful," said Tucker, who lives in Allen Park. "I guess the weird part is that some people think 'Why would you cover every single wall in your house with pieces of art?' For me, that's not weird. That's completely normal."

Tucker's house is one of eight local houses that will open their doors Saturday from 10-6 p.m. as part of the Weird Homes Tour, a concept that started in Texas but has spurred tours across the country.

With the purchase of a $30 ticket ($45 for a VIP ticket that comes with an extra house), attendees will get a map of the homes (aka addresses!) and then can stop by and visit whenever they want during the tour.

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"Attendees can expect the unexpected, while they visit homes across Detroit that classify as something unique, eccentric, funky, extraordinary, offbeat, magical and yes, weird," a news release for the event explains.

For Tucker, who works as process coach for planning and logistics at Ford, her house is a dramatic and vibrant haven that satisfies creative needs she may not be able to indulge when she's on the clock.

"Sometimes we have these jobs that are grueling and are hard to deal with at times, but when you get into your home, your space, it can be all these things that just encompass what inspires you, what uplifts you, what makes you smile."

Sharing this positive space — how she sees the world — with others felt like a no-brainer.

"I thought it would be super awesome for other people to be able to experience what I walk into every day."

Tucker moved into the Allen Park house in 2003. She has been decorating, and re-decorating since. Walls have been painted, stripped and painted again over the last 15 years — the house morphing and changing as the 43-year-old has evolved.

Andy Warhol and his pop-art ilk have always resonated with Tucker — everything is art in her mind.

As a little girl growing up in southwest Detroit, she would collage her bedroom walls with posters and pictures from magazines.

"My parents never restricted me from being the person I wanted to be, but all I had was those four walls," Tucker said with a laugh, explaining that those walls were her creative outlet.

As she got older she was able to afford to buy small works by other artists. These pieces, mixed with her self-created collages, all became a part of her vision. Her house reflects this appreciation.

"It just turned into this explosion," she said, explaining how today one room in her house is covered in necklaces and cassette tapes.

"To me, it's just really cool, the idea of allowing people you don't know to see almost the inside of your brain, the way you think and what inspires you. Hopefully, they walk away being inspired. That's the biggest thing for me," she said, adding that she has been scoping out other houses that will be on the tour and is already feeling personally inspired.

You'll have to buy a ticket to get the address, but here are the descriptions of the other metro Detroit homes you'll find on the tour:

Three Story Cargo Home: A supersize 2,400-square-foot cool, modern and efficient shipping container building.

A supersize 2,400-square-foot cool, modern and efficient shipping container building. Mid-Century and Magnificent: Blast from the past, Jonathan Adler-styled home, with sharp-eyed eclectic, and fantastic furnishings.

Blast from the past, Jonathan Adler-styled home, with sharp-eyed eclectic, and fantastic furnishings. Playful on Pierce: A beacon of color and playfulness, built with salvaged and modern materials, by two Cranbrook architectural students for their thesis.

A beacon of color and playfulness, built with salvaged and modern materials, by two Cranbrook architectural students for their thesis. Detroit Abloom : A uniquely fresh and colorful rehabbed Victorian-styled home, with an adjacent cut flower farm full of dahlias.

: A uniquely fresh and colorful rehabbed Victorian-styled home, with an adjacent cut flower farm full of dahlias. Casa Avery: An eclectic, craftsman-style home, full of amazing woodwork, and oddities from across the world.

An eclectic, craftsman-style home, full of amazing woodwork, and oddities from across the world. Fortress of Fun: A center of creativity, LA-style studio, with gray walls as a backdrop to a bastion of color and well-thought architecture.

A center of creativity, LA-style studio, with gray walls as a backdrop to a bastion of color and well-thought architecture. Wheel'n on Woodward: VIP ONLY, a spun-out creative studio with Egg Chairs, exotic cars and motorbikes, home to Design Chief at Ford, Camilo Pardo.

Contact Allie Gross: AEGross@freepress.com. Follow Allie on Twitter @Allie_Elisabeth.