DIY A Cozy And Stylish Brunch Nook Backrest With Pool Noodles

We naturally associate pool noodles with long summer days spent lounging by the swimming pool, but these fun floatation devices have some unexpected uses outside the water. We're continually amazed at the brilliant pool noodle hacks for both the home and garden. People have found ways to incorporate them into various projects, using them to DIY a unique Halloween wreath for a vibrant front door, or using them to create better drawer organization and storage. Joining the list of our favorite pool noodle DIYs is a new home improvement project inspired by Instagrammer Jono Fleming. In his tutorial, Fleming turns several pool noodles into a chic and comfortable backrest for his brunch nook. 

Pool noodles, an MDF board, polyester wadding, heavy-duty glue, fabric, and a staple gun are all you'll need to create this unique and affordable backrest that will give your dining nook an instant level-up. While the finished product in Fleming's DIY was installed lengthwise above the banquette, you can definitely go vertical instead, creating a full backrest you can comfortably lean into as you savor your Sunday morning brunch.

Pool noodles come in different sizes ranging from thin to jumbo, the latter generally being the better choice for this DIY project. Measure and cut the pool noodles and your MDF board to the desired length and width of your backrest, and insert dowel rods into the holes of your pool noodles for reinforcement. Next, measure out your polyester wadding and fabric, making sure there is enough excess material to wrap around the circumference of each pool noodle and around the four sides of the board. Layer the wadding and fabric together, then staple them to the back of the board a few inches from the top edge, with the wrong side facing out.

With the wadding and fabric securely stapled to the back of your board, flip the board face-up and glue your first pool noodle along the edge. Once the glue has dried, fold wadding and the fabric over the noodle and staple them snugly to the board along its length. Make sure that the fabric is crease-free before you staple. Continue the process with each remaining noodle, working your way down the board. 

When you get to the last pool noodle, staple the remaining wadding and fabric to the back of the board. With the fabric secure from the top to the bottom, you should now have the tufted form of your backrest, hopefully free from any unwanted creasing. Now it's time to wrap the sides, which can be a bit tricky because of the multiple folds between the pool noodles. 

To create a neat and uniform look for the sides of your backrest, you'll want cut the wadding to the level of the board so it doesn't fold to the back. This will avoid any excess bulk from showing up on the sides of your backrest. For clean edges, cut slits in the fabric between noodles and neatly staple them in sections to the back of the board. Once you're done, you can now mount it to the wall by placing screws in between pool noodles. Since the finished product shouldn't weigh much, you could also try securing it to the wall using a product like Command 20lb XL Hanging Strips instead. 

Given its soft and comfortable form, you can adapt this backrest to other areas of your home. Use it to line the walls along a window nook to create a cozier seating area, or behind your bed as a headboard. If you have a toddler, you can even arrange rows of this pool noodle padding along your playroom's walls like wainscoting to help cushion falls and tumbles.