Pool Noodle Ottoman

Summer might be almost over but there is still plenty of fun to have with pool noodles! Start by making a Pool Noodle Ottoman for outdoor entertaining.

While the slower pace of summer makes outdoor entertaining easier, it’s actually really hot. At least in Texas. So I’m a big fan of fall outdoor entertaining. The weather is more temperate but you can still enjoy lots of outdoor activities.

My kids love using pool noodles during the summer, especially Littlest. But what do you do with them when fall rolls around? I’m turning ours into outdoor seating for fall gatherings. If you happen to need more pool noodles you can get order them from Oriental Trading! I gathered up about a dozen pool noodles to make this pool noodle ottoman.

Pool noodles make great outdoor furniture because they can handle any weather! Hot? No problem. Rain? They can clearly handle being wet. I can leave it outside and not worry about it. Then when guests come over there is somewhere to sit or put plates on. Basically whatever we need it for, it’s versatile for entertaining.

All of my pool noodles were from Oriental Trading and they were each around 47 inches long. I decided on 15 inches for the height of my pool noodle ottoman, which meant I got 3 pieces plus a leftover sliver from each pool noodle. (Keep that leftover piece, my next blog post uses those for another project!)

Look at them all laid out and color coded. I used 4 different colors for my ottoman and used a total of 35 15 inch pieces.

Once all the pieces were cut I started putting them together in rows. My rows were each 5 pieces across. I used hot glue to secure them together, but you could also use super glue or other strong adhesive.

Once I had two rows put together then I stuck those together. In the end I had 7 rows that were 5 pieces across. That’s 35 pieces total, which meant I had 1 leftover piece from cutting the pool noodles. (Again save that piece! We’ll use it for something else.) 

But alternating the order of the colors (I used 4 different colors of pool noodles) I came up with a fun pattern for my ottoman. There are basically diagonal stripes running across the ottoman. You can see the stripes when you’re looking down on it or it’s laying on its side.

See that fun pool noodle garland? That’s one of the projects I’m making with some of the leftover pieces! Make sure to check out my other Pool Noodle Crafts and Games.

Thanks to Oriental Trading for providing the pool noodles for our summer fun and crafting