When Amy and Aaron Loochtan moved from Worthington to Dublin, they were saddest to leave behind their former home and a playhouse they’d renovated for their daughter Penelope, who goes by Poppy. But Poppy wasn’t without a playhouse for long, as Amy and Aaron set to work building one that invoked the comfort of their new home.
The playhouse has a brick façade painted white to mirror the design of the home, along with a welcoming porch.
Amy and Aaron have plenty of DIY experience from numerous projects done for her blog, Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins. However, they’d never built something from the ground up.
The project didn’t come without challenges, but Amy and Aaron powered through with the help of online tutorials. After three and a half months of work, Poppy had a new home of her own in their Dublin backyard.
“It’s really just something that my husband and I are both really proud of that we were able to give our daughter,” Amy says.
This isn’t your average childhood playhouse, however. Poppy’s home features electricity that powers a chandelier and two exterior front porch lights. The front porch leads to a mini door perfect for kids. There’s also an adult-sized door so the whole family can play.
Though the playhouse is constructed, Amy’s penchant for remodeling already has her brainstorming modifications and additions.
“The only thing that we would change, which we might add additionally this summer, is another little porch off the other side of the deck,” Amy says. “Just so if the ground is wet or something we are not tracking mud or wet grass into that playhouse.”
The Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins blog earned Amy a considerable following, and she secured a
partnership with Pottery Barn to furnish the playhouse with a kitchen set, bookshelves, a lamp and more.
Poppy uses her playhouse regularly and loves hosting friends inside.
“That’s one of her favorite things to show little kids when they come over and they’ve never been to our home before,” Amy says. “She’s always like, ‘Let me show you my playhouse that my parents built for me.’ I think it’s just really special to her.”
The playhouse is also quickly becoming a favorite place for the Loochtans’ newest addition, their son, Shepard.
“He loves playing in there too,” Amy says. “He’s just 16 months old, but he thinks that it’s so fun to be in there.”
Anastasia Carter is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
