living Poppy Play Time Dublin family builds upscale playhouse from the ground up

by Anastasia Carter

Photos courtesy of Amy Loochtan

Poppy Play Time

Dublin family builds upscale playhouse from the ground up

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

The Dublin Influence

Loochtan transitions from fashion to lifestyle by Anastasia Carter

Amy Loochtan began blogging in 2012, sharing fashion tips, tricks and expertise with her followers. In the decade since, she’s refocused on home décor, interior design and overall lifestyle blogging, and it’s paid off – literally. More than 70,000 people follow Loochtan on Instagram at @amy_cbandbp and her blog, Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins, tuning in for regular family updates, design inspiration and life lessons.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Dublin Life: When did you begin working on home projects/remodeling?

Amy Loochtan: When I was in grad school in 2010, I rented the junkiest little apartment that was literally dilapidated. I started perusing the internet and finding ways that I could enhance this apartment to make it not so depressing. I refinished the fireplace and painted all those ceilings and the walls and painted the kitchen cabinets. That was the start of DIY for me.

DL: When did you decide that it was something you wanted to share online through your blog and content creation?

AL: At first, I was just doing fashion influencing. As much as I love buying clothes and stuff, it really just isn’t a passion of mine. I mean, everybody has to get dressed. Really, I just have this incredible passion for home decor and interior design and styling and DIY. As I was writing for my blog, it really just morphed into more of like a lifestyle website where I was sharing motherhood items and decor tips and DIY tips and paint colors and things like that. I rarely ever share fashion anymore.

DL: Do you ever have the opportunity to interact with your audience or other influencers?

AL: I’ve met up with multiple other influencers throughout my time doing this. I always think it’s kind of fun to meet up with other influencers just because nobody is exactly the same (as) you are. For me to

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.

The Loochtans added electricity to power a chandelier and porch lights in the playhouse.

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be here in Columbus and be in the DIY or interior design niches is a little different because I haven’t met anybody in my area, but it doesn’t mean that I won’t.

DL: What brings you joy to share your story or ideas as an influencer?

AL: I personally love seeing the transformation that we do on our own to our own home. We live in a neighborhood, and not that there’s anything wrong with builder grade neighborhood homes, but I really love giving them character and visual interest and making them feel like me. That’s one of the things that brings me the most joy, is just looking at the transformation progress of a home. A home’s design is never complete.

DL: What else would you like people to know about yourself and your work?

AL: A lot of people have this misrepresentation of influencers or content creators in their brain that we just have this cushy life, but it really is so much hard work. People recognize that when they’re perusing the internet for inspiration photos and they come across something that maybe I would post or another influencer. If you find an influencer that you like, the best thing you can do is really just engage with their content and show them that you really appreciate the work that they’re doing.

Amy Loochtan and daughter Penelope The playhouse’s brick façade matches the Loochtans’ home.

“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.

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